Witnesses dispute ICE accounts of fatal shooting - lawyer

Witnesses to the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado by a US immigration agent in Texas have contradicted the official account, according to their lawyer. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Salgado, 52, rammed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicle and attempted to run over an officer, prompting the agent to fire in self-defense.

However, Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, attorney for two individuals detained during the operation, asserted that his clients confirmed no agent was directly in front of Salgado's vehicle. He also stated that the shots originated from the sides, not the front, which he argued is inconsistent with the ICE statement.

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They confirmed that at no point was there ever an ICE agent directly in front of the vehicle. They also confirmed that the shots came from the sides, not from the front, which is inconsistent with the ICE agent statement.

Democratic Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, representing the district where the incident occurred, relayed information from an acting ICE director. According to Garcia, the director confirmed Salgado and his brother, a passenger, were not the operation's targets. The ICE was reportedly searching for someone with a final removal order who they believed had entered the van, and possessed an administrative warrant.

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The director said that ICE was searching for an individual with a final removal order, who officers believed had entered the van, and that they had an administrative warrant.