Men who witnessed deadly Houston shooting say ICE statement is false, attorney says

Witnesses Challenge Official Account of Houston ICE Shooting

Conflicting Narratives Emerge Following Fatal Encounter

Men who witnessed deadly Houston shooting – An attorney who recently interviewed three individuals detained during a Houston immigration operation has stated that the federal government’s explanation of events does not align with what the witnesses experienced. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement representatives, one of their agents discharged his weapon on Tuesday after Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old man from Mexico, struck a law enforcement vehicle with his van and failed to respond to spoken instructions during what was described as a targeted enforcement action.

However, the three men who were passengers in Salgado Araujo’s work van have told attorney Hugo Balderas-Ibarra that the official narrative is inaccurate. In a video shared on his Instagram account, the lawyer conveyed the passengers’ perspective: “At no point did they use the van to ram into the ICE agents and at no point were these ICE agents’ lives ever in any danger.” According to Balderas-Ibarra, who discussed the incident with The Washington Post, the sequence of events unfolded differently than reported. He explained that police lights activated on one unmarked ICE vehicle, causing the van to slow down before ICE vehicles subsequently struck it from behind.

Video Evidence and Timeline of Events

The attorney noted that an ICE agent quickly exited his vehicle following the collision and fired his weapon, hitting Salgado Araujo. CNN has contacted both the attorney and ICE representatives seeking additional commentary on the situation. Videos acquired by CNN reveal that Salgado Araujo’s white work van was being followed by two black SUVs that lacked obvious law enforcement identifiers. One recording captures a black SUV trailing the white van as it traveled along Canal Street.

In the footage, the white van seems to pause momentarily before reversing direction and proceeding slowly along the sidewalk while three officers pursue it on foot. The precise circumstances surrounding Salgado Araujo’s interaction with ICE officers when the van appeared to halt remain uncertain. As questions intensify regarding how the situation escalated, calls for an independent review and community concern continue to grow.

Ongoing Investigations and Broader Implications

Multiple agencies have launched inquiries into the deadly encounter. The FBI, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General, and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office are all examining the incident. This case represents the first fatal shooting involving federal immigration agents since US citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti were killed during ICE operations in Minneapolis.

The incident has reignited debates about who falls under scrutiny in a nationwide immigration enforcement campaign that the Trump administration claims seeks to eliminate dangerous criminals from the United States. A source with knowledge of preliminary findings told CNN that Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the operation. Local officials echoed this assessment during a Friday news conference, referencing acting ICE director David Venturella.

Before Tuesday’s confrontation, Texas authorities had alerted ICE about two individuals—neither being Salgado Araujo—who were thought to be residing in the country without proper documentation and traveling in a white van. During her Friday press conference, Democratic Representative Sylvia Garcia of Texas noted that this explanation differed from what she had been told by Venturella on Thursday. CNN has contacted the Department of Homeland Security for clarification regarding these conflicting accounts.

Family Response and Transparency Concerns

A Homeland Security official provided CNN with an alternative version of events, stating that “Officers were almost at the target’s address when they observed a white van with an individual who resembled the target. Officers then initiated the vehicle stop.” The source confirmed that the van was registered to Salgado Araujo, whom agents concluded was in the country illegally. According to the agency, when ICE agents attempted to halt Salgado Araujo, he struck their vehicle, prompting an officer to fire his weapon in self-defense.

Salgado Araujo’s family has challenged the federal government’s version of events, asserting that the dedicated father of three would have complied if he had realized the vehicle following him belonged to ICE. The Department of Homeland Security has yet to publish video footage of the shooting, and none of the participating agents had been equipped with body-worn cameras, according to a spokesperson. Body cameras have been installed in more than half of ICE field offices, with the remaining locations expected to receive them within 60 days.

CNN has inquired with DHS regarding any available dashcam recordings. The lack of official footage from the Houston incident has revived concerns about transparency and accountability in immigration enforcement operations, particularly following a federal judge’s order in Chicago months earlier requiring immigration agents involved in enforcement activities there to wear and activate body cameras. The DHS Office of the Inspector General is currently directing the investigation into the shooting, while the FBI’s Houston field office is also examining the alleged assault on a federal law enforcement officer.