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🇺🇸 United States /Crime & Justice

Substance in work van of man killed by ICE tested negative for drugs, prosecutor says

From CBS News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Under investigation
  • A substance found in the van of a man killed by ICE tested negative for drugs, contradicting federal claims.
  • The man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, was fatally shot by an ICE agent on July 7.
  • The negative test results support the family's claim that the substance was salt, not meth, and raise questions about the federal narrative.

A substance discovered in the work van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, has tested negative for illicit drugs. This finding directly refutes claims made by federal officials, including an FBI affidavit, which suggested the vehicle likely contained methamphetamine.

Salgado Araujo, a construction worker who had lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was killed on July 7 in Houston. ICE has asserted that Salgado Araujo "weaponized" his vehicle during a traffic stop attempt, prompting the agent to fire in self-defense. However, other individuals in the van, who remain in ICE custody, have contested this account.

We can confirm the substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's van tested negative for narcotics / illicit drugs.

— Harris County District Attorney's officeStatement confirming the test results of the substance found in the vehicle.

The Harris County District Attorney's office confirmed the negative test results on Friday, stating they had notified Salgado Araujo's family. These findings align with statements from the family's representatives and the ACLU of Texas, who had maintained the substance was likely granulated salt used by construction workers. David Donatti of the ACLU of Texas criticized the federal government, stating it was "more interested in creating a false narrative than in seeking the truth."

Both the FBI and ICE's internal oversight office are reviewing the shooting. The FBI affidavit, submitted weeks after the incident, had cited photos of small bags containing a white, crystal-like substance as evidence consistent with meth. The negative test results cast doubt on the initial federal narrative and underscore the family's assertion that Salgado Araujo was a hardworking man.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo should still be alive today, and nothing about the government's so-called 'search' could have changed that fact. That search has now proven what the Salgado family has said all along: Lorenzo was a hardworking man who made homes for Houston families.

— David DonattiAttorney at the ACLU of Texas, representing Salgado Araujo's family, commenting on the federal investigation and test results.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by CBS News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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