Texas Prosecutor Investigates Migrant's Death by ICE Agent

The Harris County District Attorney's office in Houston, Texas, has opened an investigation into the death of Lorenzo Salgado, a Mexican migrant who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Salgado died Tuesday after being shot during an ICE operation.

District Attorney Sean Teare revealed that his investigators visited the scene and collected evidence from security cameras. "My office is conducting an investigation, but we have not had the same level of access as we do in almost every shooting involving a (law enforcement) agent," Teare said. He emphasized that his office would investigate any state crime, including murder, manslaughter, or tampering with evidence, and that "whoever committed that crime will not be able to hide behind their title."

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My office is conducting an investigation, but we have not had the same level of access as we do in almost every shooting involving a (law enforcement) agent.

According to Salgado's son, Roberto Salgado, the 50-year-old migrant, who had lived in Houston for over 30 years, was intercepted by unidentified ICE vehicles while on his way to work with his brother and two colleagues in the historically Latino neighborhood of Magnolia Park. The other passengers were arrested, and Salgado died after being taken to a local hospital with a "gunshot wound to the torso." The Harris County medical examiner's office ruled the death a homicide.

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If a state crime was committed, whether it's murder, manslaughter, or tampering with evidence, we are going to investigate it.

ICE, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has also opened a federal investigation into the shooting. A DHS spokesperson stated that agents were attempting to arrest Salgado for lacking legal immigration status. The spokesperson claimed Salgado "ignored instructions" from ICE agents and attempted to run them over with his vehicle, prompting one agent to fire "in self-defense."

Salgado's family, activists, and politicians have called for an independent investigation into the incident. This shooting is one of at least six deaths this year involving ICE agents in the United States.

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whoever committed that crime will not be able to hide behind their title.