'That Is a Lie': Houston ICE Shooting Key Witness Says Victim Never Tried to Ram ICE Agents

The three men travelling in the van driven by 52-year-old Houston resident Lorenzo Salgado Araujo before he was fatally shot have disputed the federal government's account of the incident.

One of the surviving passengers, Jose Trinidad Rojas, 51, wrote in a handwritten statement: 'That is a lie,' rejecting ICE's claim that Salgado Araujo had attempted to ram federal agents. Rojas argued that this would have been impossible because the agents were positioned alongside the vehicle.

The statement was obtained by Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, an immigration attorney representing the three surviving passengers: Rojas, Salgado Araujo's brother Victor, and a third unnamed survivor. Balderas-Ibarra spoke with the men while they were in immigration custody on Thursday, 9 July.

Witnesses Recount Their Experience

Hours after the shooting on Tuesday, 7 July, an ICE spokesperson said: 'Salgado Araujo allegedly attempted to ram an ICE vehicle, refused to follow multiple verbal commands and tried to run over the ICE agent before the federal officer fired his weapon in self-defence.'

At a press conference, Balderas-Ibarra said the surviving passengers strongly rejected that account.

According to the witnesses, Salgado Araujo never drove towards the agents and was instead shot through the passenger-side window. They also maintained that neither he nor the passengers posed an immediate threat to law enforcement officers.

The survivors said they were travelling to buy ice and water before heading to a construction site shortly before 7:00am.

As they stopped at a traffic light, they noticed an unmarked vehicle following them. When the light turned green, they alleged the vehicle cut in front of their van from the shoulder.

According to Balderas-Ibarra, Salgado Araujo then made a U-turn, prompting the occupants of the unmarked vehicle to activate police lights.

Rojas also wrote that the group believed they had escaped before their van was allegedly struck by the agents' vehicle. He said that, after they were surrounded, an agent fired through the passenger side of the van, striking Salgado Araujo in the abdomen.

Victor Salgado said the gun was directly in front of his face when the agent fired.

'It just happened so fast,' he said.

Rojas further alleged that agents forcibly pulled Salgado Araujo from the vehicle and onto the ground, where he cried out for help while bleeding.

'They Were Cooperating and Not Resisting'

Balderas-Ibarra said the four men involved 'didn't deserve' what happened, describing them as good people.

'They were cooperating and not resisting,' he told a local publication.

Salgado Araujo's family and civil rights advocates continue to call for the release of bodycam footage to establish what led to the fatal shooting of the 52-year-old.

The lack of publicly available video evidence has fuelled further uncertainty. The shooting has sparked protests across Houston, with demonstrators calling for greater transparency about the operation and questioning the use of unmarked vehicles.

As investigations continue and authorities withhold further evidence, questions surrounding the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo remain unanswered.

The lack of publicly available video evidence further fuelled uncertainty. The issue sparked protests across Houston, with locals clamouring for transparency regarding the operation and their reasoning for using unmarked vehicles.

As investigations continue and authorities withhold further evidence, questions surrounding the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo remain unanswered.