Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s work van contained electrolyte powder rather than the methamphetamine previously suspected by federal agents.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that a crystal-like substance found in the van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not an illicit drug. The revelation refutes an FBI affidavit that suggested the substance was methamphetamine. Instead, the Salgado Araujo family maintained that the material was granulated salt used to create a homemade electrolyte mix for working in the Texas heat. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a construction worker and father of three, was fatally shot by an ICE agent on July 7 during a traffic stop. While the administration initially suggested Salgado Araujo weaponized his vehicle, the three men who were in the van with him disputed that claim, stating he had already come to a full stop when the officer fired. Legal representatives for the family criticized the government for allowing the unproven drug narrative to circulate before testing was complete. They argued that the early report diverted attention from the primary issue of the shooting. The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.

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