HOUSTON, TEXAS — Passengers riding with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo when an ICE agent fatally shot him say federal vehicles rammed their van before agents opened fire, contradicting the government’s initial account of the July 7 encounter.
Statements filed in federal court by Daniel Tirado Pantoja and Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego say two unmarked vehicles struck the van from behind and along its side. Both men said Salgado Araujo had stopped and that no agents were positioned directly in front of or behind the vehicle when shots were fired.
The Department of Homeland Security previously said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle, ignored commands and attempted to run over an agent, prompting the officer to fire in self-defense. Federal officials have not released body-camera or dashboard-camera footage because the vehicles and agents were not equipped with those recording systems.
Video collected from nearby surveillance cameras does not show the entire encounter. Fourteen policing experts who reviewed available footage for The Texas Tribune questioned the agents’ use of unmarked vehicles and whether emergency lights or sirens were activated.
A federal judge has temporarily prohibited authorities from deporting or transferring Rojas Pliego while his petition for release proceeds. Federal and Harris County authorities are investigating the shooting, but officials have not announced charges or released the names of the agents involved.
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