Detainees say ICE officer shot Houston driver through passenger window, lawyer says

Three men inside a van told a lawyer that an immigration officer shot and killed driver Lorenzo Salgado Araujo through a passenger window, directly contradicting the officer's claim of self-defense. The witnesses confirmed that the officer was not in front of the vehicle and that the shots came from the side.

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They confirmed that at no point was an ICE agent directly in front of the vehicle. They also confirmed the shots came from the side, not from the front.

Attorney Hugo Balderas-Ibarra relayed these accounts, stating the witnesses asserted the ICE agent was never threatened. This testimony challenges the Department of Homeland Security's narrative that Salgado Araujo ignored commands and rammed an ICE vehicle before the officer fired in self-defense. DHS has yet to release evidence supporting their version of events.

Details surrounding the shooting remain contested. DHS initially stated Salgado Araujo was targeted for living in the U.S. without legal permission. However, a congresswoman relayed that ICE officers were looking for a different individual. The department also claimed the officers lacked body cameras due to "back-to-back Democrat shutdowns."

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After receiving a credible tip from our law enforcement partners, our officers conducted surveillance on a target's address. Weeks prior to the incident, they noted two white vans at the property. On July 7, officers were almost at the target's address when they observed a white van with an individual who resembled the target. Officers then initiated the vehicle stop.

Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old homebuilder, had resided in the U.S. for over 35 years, possessed no criminal record, and was nearing the completion of his legal status process. His family stated he was driving his crew to a construction site when the incident occurred.

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due to back-to-back Democrat shutdowns.