Witnesses Contradict ICE Account of Fatal Houston Shooting, Mayor Demands Local Probe

The fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old Mexican home builder, by an ICE agent in Houston on July 7, 2026, has sparked protests, a reversal by the mayor, and conflicting accounts of what happened. New witness statements and security footage contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s claim that the agent fired in self-defense.

The shooting and official account

On Tuesday morning, Salgado Araujo was driving his white work van with three other men to a construction site when two unmarked SUVs began following him. Security camera footage obtained by The Washington Post shows agents aggressively tailing the van, at one point cutting it off and driving on the wrong side of the street. The Department of Homeland Security said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and “weaponized” his van “in an attempt to run over” an officer, and that the agent fired in self-defense. Salgado Araujo was shot in the abdomen and died. None of the officers involved were wearing body cameras, and the nearly six-minute-long footage does not clearly capture the moment of the shooting; at times the vehicles are partially obscured by buildings. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said his office is collecting surveillance video and witness testimony.

Witnesses tell a different story

Three men who were inside the van spoke with attorney Hugo Balderas Ibarra and told him the agent fired through the passenger-side window and that no officer was ever in danger. The men were later detained by ICE.

After speaking with these men, I have no doubt that what they say is the truth. I know that these agents — the agency — is going to try to cover it up.

Salgado Araujo had lived in the United States for 35 years, had no criminal record, and was close to completing the process to obtain legal status. A DHS spokesperson later said he was not the intended target of the immigration operation; agents were looking for another man.

Outpouring of anger in Houston

Within a day, more than a thousand protesters marched through Houston’s East End chanting “ICE out of Houston.” Residents of the heavily Hispanic neighborhood left flowers, candles and balloons at the shooting site.

The neighborhood is frustrated at the continuing raids and hauling of hardworking people who come here to provide for their families.

At a vigil on July 11 organized by the Service Employees International Union, Salgado Araujo’s sons, Ronaldo and a younger brother, moved the crowd to tears as they spoke of their father’s love of soccer and the American dream.

Political and legal fallout

Houston Mayor John Whitmire initially said the city had no jurisdiction, but on July 10 he reversed course after the witnesses’ account emerged. He called on the FBI to share information and said Houston police and the district attorney’s office would conduct their own investigation. The Mexican government filed a formal complaint over the killing. The incident has also rekindled criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with ICE arrests nationwide spiking to 10,000 in a five-day period, partly driven by massive congressional funding.

Timeline of key developments