Eyewitnesses dispute ICE account of fatal shooting in Houston

Three eyewitnesses are challenging the official account of the fatal shooting of a Mexican national by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Houston, Texas. The witnesses' lawyer, Hugo Baldero-Ybera, stated at a press conference that their accounts differ significantly from the U.S. authorities' version of events.

The deceased, 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado, was reportedly stopped by ICE agents on Tuesday. While immigration authorities claimed Salgado lacked legal status and resisted apprehension by ignoring orders and ramming an ICE vehicle before attempting to hit an agent, the eyewitnesses offer a different narrative. The three witnesses, including the victim's brother, are currently detained at the Montgomery Processing Center in Texas.

According to Baldero-Ybera, his clients confirmed that no ICE agent was directly in front of the vehicle when the shots were fired. "They confirmed that the shots were fired from the side and not from the front, which does not align with the explanation from ICE," the lawyer stated, as reported by AFP. He added that Salgado had no criminal record and had resided in the U.S. for over 35 years, raising a child who is an American citizen. His only alleged offense was matching the description of another man authorities were seeking.

An official from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) informed Reuters on Friday that Salgado was not the intended target of the operation that led to his death. This incident marks the first fatal shooting involving ICE agents since two U.S. citizens were killed in separate incidents in Minneapolis in January.

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They confirmed that the shots were fired from the side and not from the front, which does not align with the explanation from ICE.