New Developments in the Shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo

Substances found in the work van of a Mexican immigrant killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent have tested negative for illegal drugs. The top prosecutor in Houston made this announcement, countering earlier claims by federal officials that the vehicle might have contained methamphetamine.

Shooting Incident and Investigation

The case involves Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a construction worker shot by an ICE officer in Houston on July 7. Salgado Araujo had been living in the U.S. for 35 years. ICE claimed he “weaponized” his vehicle during a traffic stop, leading an agent to shoot him. Other men in the van have disputed this, and they remain in ICE custody.

Following the incident and another fatal shooting by ICE in Maine, the FBI submitted an affidavit suggesting the presence of meth in the van. Photos in the affidavit showed small bags with a substance resembling methamphetamine.

Test Results and Family Statements

On Friday, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare’s office confirmed the substance tested negative for narcotics. “We can confirm the substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s van tested negative for narcotics,” the office stated. They also informed Salgado Araujo’s family of the findings.

Representatives for the family had claimed the substance was likely granulated salt, often used by construction workers as an electrolyte mix in hot weather. The FBI declined to comment on the test results.

David Donatti, an attorney with the ACLU of Texas representing Salgado Araujo’s family, stated that the federal government seemed more interested in fabricating stories than uncovering the truth.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo should still be alive today, and nothing about the government’s so-called ‘search’ could have changed that fact,” Donatti added. “That search has now proven what the Salgado family has said all along: Lorenzo was a hardworking man who made homes for Houston families.

Ongoing Investigations

The FBI and ICE’s internal oversight office are both reviewing the July 7 shooting. Teare’s office is conducting its own probe and is ready to prosecute ICE agents if evidence of criminal wrongdoing emerges.

ICE acknowledged that Salgado Araujo was living in the U.S. without legal documentation but has not contested his lack of a criminal record.

In a CBS News interview, Salgado Araujo’s eldest sons once again described their father as a dedicated and family-oriented man. “He was drawn by the promise that in America you can, if you put in the work, you’ll get paid what you deserve,” Lorenzo Salgado Jr. stated, reflecting on his father’s aspirations for a better future for his family.