Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Wednesday that the Texas Rangers will investigate the fatal shooting of 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. The shooting occurred on July 7 in Houston while agents were conducting a traffic stop. Salgado Araujo, a lawful resident applicant who had lived in the U.S. for 35 years, died at a local hospital following the encounter.
According to ICE, the shooting occurred after Salgado Araujo allegedly used his vehicle as a weapon, prompting an officer to fire in self-defense. The Department of Homeland Security later confirmed that Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the operation but was stopped because he resembled the person agents were seeking. Representative Sylvia Garcia noted that the agents involved were not wearing body cameras during the incident.
The investigation by the Texas Rangers follows requests for an independent probe from Houston Mayor John Whitmire and local community members. Governor Abbott stated that state law enforcement would work with federal officials to determine the facts of the case. Simultaneously, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General and the FBI are conducting federal reviews into the discharge of the firearm and the alleged assault on federal officers.
The incident has drawn attention to ICE enforcement tactics, including traffic stops, which President Donald Trump stated would continue as a primary tool for immigration enforcement. This shooting occurred shortly before another fatal ICE shooting in Maine involving a 26-year-old Colombian national, which has also prompted public scrutiny of the agency's use-of-force protocols.