A week after a 52-year-old man was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Houston, the FBI filed a warrant application saying the agency has cause to believe there were illegal drugs in the vehicle he was driving.
Investigation Details
The application cites probable cause for “distribution, manufacturing, or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and simple possession of a controlled substance.” The FBI affidavit, authored by FBI Special Agent David McNielly, described arriving on scene after the shooting and allegedly observing small plastic bags “with a white crystal-like substance” in the white cargo van.
The packaging and appearance of the controlled substance in the target vehicle is consistent with methamphetamine, according to the warrant. However, it does not explicitly say who the bags are believed to belong to. Included within the warrant are two images of the bags that appear to be on the vehicle’s dashboard.
Law enforcement had not searched the vehicle prior to filing the warrant, McNielly wrote. Houston Mayor John Whitmire told CNN that FBI agents were performing a search of the vehicle Wednesday morning.
The Department of Homeland Security has not indicated that the ICE agents who stopped the driver had any knowledge of drugs possibly being inside the vehicle at the time of the fatal shooting. The medical examiner ruled that the driver’s death was caused by a gunshot to the torso, and officials have not released toxicology information describing any substances in his system at the time of death.
Reaction to the Investigation
The president of the LULAC Adelante PAC, a political group that supports Latino voter participation and candidates, accused federal investigators of trying to “change the public discourse and prejudice a jury in Harris County.”
The ACLU of Texas, which is working closely with the driver’s family, said, “The Trump administration lacks credibility to investigate itself, and we should be skeptical of any claims until a full independent investigation is complete.”
Original reporting: WPBF (Treasure Coast / Hearst) — read the source article.
