On 7/7, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant, was driving a white van with his brother and two colleagues to a construction site in Houston, Texas. Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in two unmarked vehicles pursued Araujo to stop his vehicle, mistaking it for that of a wanted Guatemalan target.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that Araujo intentionally fled and used his vehicle as a weapon against law enforcement, leading to an agent firing one shot that killed the driver. However, witnesses in the vehicle deny this accusation.

Araujo, 52, born in Tlatlaya, Mexico, had resided in the U.S. for 35 years. Although undocumented to reside legally in the U.S., he had begun filing for authorization and had no criminal record.

Protesters demonstrate against ICE following the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, outside Houston City Hall, Texas, on 14/7. *Photo: AFP*

Following the shooting, FBI investigators obtained a search warrant for the white van on 14/7. They informed a federal judge that a "crystal-like substance" in plastic bags could be methamphetamine.

However, Ruby Powers, the attorney for Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo, the victim's brother and a witness in the vehicle, stated on 16/7 that "after consultation with her client and his family, we understand that this was grainy salt."

According to Powers, like other construction workers, her client and his brother often mixed salt into water with lemon to make a homemade electrolyte drink for working under Houston's heat. "He put it in a water bottle and made his own electrolyte mixture," she added.

On 16/7, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare also expressed skepticism about drugs being in the vehicle. He said in a statement: "Based on what we've learned about the occupants of the vehicle, the presence of drugs in the vehicle is inconsistent."

Small white bags found in the van. *Photo: FBI*

Later on 16/7, Aaron Reitz, a federal prosecutor for the Southern District of Texas, provided new details in an official report about the shooting.

According to Reitz, two patrol vehicles, each carrying two ICE agents, activated emergency lights and signaled to stop the white van driven by Araujo. "However, the undocumented immigrants in the vehicle fled by making a sharp U-turn and driving over the median," Reitz stated. "The agents decided not to pursue. Later that morning, they coincidentally encountered the vehicle again."

"This time, the agents successfully surrounded the vehicle," Reitz said. Two agents exited their vehicle and ordered Araujo to stop. "Preliminary information indicates the driver shifted into reverse, then accelerated forward, just as an agent was partially leaning into or was standing close to the vehicle. During the commotion, an agent fired one shot, hitting Araujo."

Meanwhile, two witnesses in the van recounted to a local councilwoman that the agents did not identify themselves when approaching the vehicle and that the shot was fired through the front passenger side window.

Reitz mentioned that agents discovered plastic bags and suspected they contained drugs. However, he had not yet released the investigation's final conclusions regarding the contents of these bags.

A spokesperson for the FBI's Houston office declined to comment on Powers' statement, adding that the agency had no plans to release the test results.

The three witnesses present in the van are undocumented to reside legally in the U.S. and face deportation. All are being held in federal detention.

By Hoang Lan (Sources: NYTimes, CNN, Huffpost)