Three men arrested during an immigration operation in Houston say federal officers opened fire almost immediately after leaving their vehicle, disputing the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
The men spoke from immigration detention through attorney Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, who shared their written and oral statements with The Washington Post.
DHS Claims Van Was Used as a Weapon
The Department of Homeland Security said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and used his white work van in an attempt to run over an ICE officer.
But the men who were inside the van strongly denied that version.
Jose Trinidad Rojas, 51, wrote that the claim was false, saying no officers were in front of or behind the van. According to him, officers were positioned on the sides.
Three Men Give Similar Accounts
Balderas-Ibarra said he separately interviewed Rojas, Daniel Tirado Pantoja, 43, and Victor Salgado, 44, the victim’s brother.
He said all three gave the same basic account: ICE agents were never in front of the van and instead approached from the sides before shooting.
The three men are undocumented immigrants from Mexico and now face removal proceedings.
Shooting Sparks Anger in Houston
The shooting has intensified anger in Houston over the Trump administration’s deportation campaign.
Salgado Araujo’s family said he was a father of three, a business owner, and had lived in the United States without legal status for more than 30 years.
They also said he had no criminal record.
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Texas Democrat who represents the area where the shooting happened, said an ICE official told her Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the stop.
First Fatal Immigration Agent Shooting Since January
Salgado Araujo’s death is reportedly the first fatal shooting involving federal immigration agents since U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti were killed in separate enforcement incidents in Minneapolis in January.
The report also notes that ICE has issued similar statements in other shootings, but in some cases, video evidence and witness testimony later challenged the agency’s initial version.
A Trump administration official said the ICE officers involved in Tuesday’s traffic stop were not wearing body cameras.
Men Say They Were Heading to Work
According to the men’s accounts, the day began normally.
They were travelling to a construction site around 6:30 a.m. after buying ice and water.
They were driving on Wayside Drive toward Interstate 10 when an unmarked vehicle began following them.
The men said the vehicle later pulled onto the shoulder, sped up, moved in front of Salgado Araujo’s van, and tapped its brakes.
Police Lights Turned On After U-Turn
The men said Salgado Araujo then made a U-turn.
They told the attorney that officers activated police lights after that.
As the van continued onto Canal Street, road construction forced it to move slowly.
The men said the van was travelling no faster than 5 mph.
They also claimed ICE vehicles rammed the work van, but said Salgado Araujo never used the van to hit law enforcement vehicles.
Men Say Officer Fired From Side of Van
The men told Balderas-Ibarra that ICE vehicles eventually surrounded them, with one vehicle on each side of the van.
Rojas wrote that Salgado Araujo thought they had gotten away, but officers suddenly boxed them in.
According to the men, an officer jumped out, approached from the side, yelled “Stop,” and began firing from the passenger side.
The shot hit Salgado Araujo in the abdomen.
Victor Salgado said the gun was so close that it was in front of his face when the officer fired at his brother.
Brother Says Victim Called for Help
The men said Salgado Araujo managed to stop the van and put it in park.
They claimed officers continued firing from the sides of the vehicle afterward.
Rojas said agents then pulled Salgado Araujo from the driver’s seat, threw him to the ground, and placed handcuffs on his wrists and feet.
Victor Salgado said his brother was bleeding and calling for help.
He also recalled an ICE agent allegedly mocking him in Spanish, saying, “You wanted to escape, right?”
Victim Later Died in Hospital
Salgado Araujo later died from his injuries.
According to Juan Proaño, chief executive of the League of United Latin American Citizens, he arrived at Ben Taub Hospital without identification and was initially listed as a “John Doe.”
Attorney Calls for Independent Investigation
Balderas-Ibarra said the three detained men have lived in the United States for more than 20 years, have no criminal records, and support families, including U.S. citizen children.
He said they were upset after watching news coverage that repeated the agency’s version of events.
The attorney, who is representing Tirado and Rojas for free, said he is working to get them released from detention and wants an independent investigation into the shooting.
The accounts from the three detained men directly challenge DHS’s explanation of the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. While DHS says the van was used as a weapon, the men claim officers were positioned on the sides and fired without being in the vehicle’s path.
With no body camera footage reported, calls for an independent investigation are likely to grow as questions remain about what happened during the Houston immigration stop.