US officials confirmed late Tuesday that Lorenzo Salgado Araújo was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent during a traffic stop in Houston, Texas.
ICE has said Mexican national Salgado Araújo attempted to evade arrest and rammed the officer’s vehicle, prompting the agent to act in self-defense.
Demand for independent investigation
There were calls from Democrats and Latin American groups for an independent investigation, however, as in the past – such as the January killing of Renee Good in Minnesota – agents’ accounts of an officer-involved shooting differed significantly from video evidence.
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, who represents the Houston-area district where the shooting occurred, said, “All available footage, communications and other evidence must be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that Salgado Araújo was in the United States illegally, while his son Ronaldo Salgado told reporters that he was in the process of obtaining an official work permit.
“My father didn’t deserve this,” he said.
Local resident Juliet Martínez said she took video of the scene while passing by on Tuesday and said it showed a bloodied man lying on the ground in handcuffs, writhing in pain.
DHS said Salgado Araújo died en route to a local hospital.
A small protest broke out at the site of the shooting, with a makeshift memorial built for Salgado Araújo.
ICE surge has caused at least 8 deaths
It is at least the eighth shooting by ICE officers since the start of President Donald Trump’s second administration, with at least two US citizens among the victims.
Trump has devoted significant resources to increasing ICE activity, including a massive recruitment drive that critics have said fails to adequately train new officers in law enforcement procedures.
Residents of cities that have been the target of ICE surges, such as now Houston, have described a general climate of fear of arbitrary arrest or violence. ICE detention centers have also been heavily criticized for unsafe and unsanitary conditions, especially for young children.
Edited by: Natalie Muller
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