Witnesses to the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Houston are challenging the agency’s explanation of the incident. The witnesses, including Salgado’s brother, claim that the agent’s account of the events is not accurate.

Disputed Account

The ICE agent claimed that Salgado, an illegal immigrant, rammed a law enforcement vehicle with his van and attempted to run over an officer, who then fired on him in self-defense. However, the witnesses say that this is not what happened. According to their attorney, Hugo Baldero-Ybera, the witnesses stated that the fatal shots came from the side of the van, not the front, and that there was no agent directly in front of the vehicle.

The shooting has sparked protests in Houston’s heavily Hispanic East End, with over 1,000 people marching peacefully through the neighborhood. The family of Salgado, a construction worker who had lived in Houston for 35 years, is demanding an independent investigation into the incident.

Investigation

The incident is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, but the family and local activists are calling for an independent investigation. The Harris County District Attorney has appealed to the public to come forward with any videos, photos, or eyewitness accounts of the incident.

It was also revealed that Salgado was not the target of the ICE operation that ended in his death. A DHS official stated that immigration agents had been conducting surveillance on a property and saw a white van with an individual who resembled the target, leading to the vehicle stop.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.