Witnesses dispute ICE account of Houston killing
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Lorenzo Salgado Jr. (left) and Ronaldo Salgado (right), sons of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, at a press conference Wednesday. Photo: Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
The three men who were in a van with Lorenzo Salgado Araujo when he was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Houston are disputing the Department of Homeland Security's account, according to their lawyer, saying the driver never tried to run over agents.
The big picture: New details are emerging after the fatal shooting of Salgado Araujo, 52, on Tuesday, including surveillance video and eyewitness accounts.
- Hours after the shooting, DHS put out a statement saying Salgado Araujo "rammed" an ICE vehicle and "weaponized his vehicle" in an attempt to "run over" an ICE agent.
- DHS has not provided video or other evidence supporting that version of events.
Driving the news: Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, the immigration attorney on the case, said he interviewed each man separately while they were in ICE custody.
- "My clients' versions of the events are extremely different different from what ICE agents are saying, or what the agency is saying," Balderas-Ibarra said at a press conference Friday, adding the witnesses "reiterated that at no point was there ever an agent standing in front of the vehicle, nor was an agent at place in the line of danger. That is simply false."
- The men — Jose Trinidad Rojas, 51; Daniel Tirado Pantoja, 43; and Salgado Araujo's brother, Victor Salgado, 44 — gave consistent accounts, according to the attorney.
What they're saying: Balderas-Ibarra also shared the men's handwritten statements with the Washington Post.
- "That is a lie," wrote Rojas. "It is impossible for them to say that they were going to get run over … there were no officers in front of or behind the vehicle. They were on the sides."
- DHS has not responded to Axios' request for comment on the passengers' accounts.
Between the lines: U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) said DHS told her Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the operation.
- The agency told Axios that he "resembled the target" and that the agents involved had "not been issued body-worn cameras."
- No video has emerged of the moment that shots were fired, per the New York Times.
Zoom in: The men told the attorney they were on their way to a construction site when unmarked vehicles began following them. At one point, there was an ICE vehicle on each side of the work van, per the Post.
- They said ICE rammed their vehicles into the van, but Salgado Araujo did not use his vehicle to hit law enforcement's cars. The men said Salgado Araujo was able to stop the van and place it in park.
The three Mexican immigrants do not have legal immigration status and are facing removal proceedings.
What we're watching: Houston Mayor John Whitmire directed Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz to make his department's resources available to assist the DHS and FBI investigations.
- Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare says his office is also investigating the shooting.