Federal agents did not have body-worn cameras when a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a Mexican homebuilder who was driving a work van they tried pulling over in Houston, the Department of Homeland Security said Thursday.

Investigation Underway

Prosecutors in Houston said they are investigating the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, whose family has joined Democrats in calling for an independent probe over Tuesday’s early morning shooting in one of the city’s heavily Hispanic neighborhoods.

The family of Salgado Araujo, who had lived in the U.S. for more than 35 years, has questioned ICE’s account and called on the agency to release evidence. In a statement, DHS said the agents at the scene in Houston had not yet been issued body cameras, which it blamed on Democrats and a record government shutdown that was fueled by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

DHS, which oversees ICE, has said federal officers were conducting a targeted operation to arrest a person in the country without legal status when they attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Salgado Araujo. The agency has said Salgado Araujo rammed an ICE vehicle and that a federal officer fired a weapon in self-defense.

Salgado Araujo had no criminal record and was close to obtaining a work permit after living in the U.S. for more than three decades without legal status, his family has said. The Harris County District Attorney’s office said it would conduct an investigation into the shooting.

Original reporting: WPBF West Palm Beach — read the source article.