Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's work van tested negative for illicit drugs following his fatal shooting by an ICE agent in Houston.
The Harris County District Attorney’s office confirmed Friday that a substance found in the work van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo tested negative for narcotics. This revelation refutes an FBI affidavit that suggested the white, crystal-like substance was methamphetamine. The family of the Mexican immigrant, who lived in the U.S. for 35 years, maintained the substance was actually granulated salt used to create a homemade electrolyte mix for construction work. The finding comes after Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an ICE officer on July 7 during a traffic stop. While the administration argued that Salgado Araujo "weaponized" his vehicle, the men in the van disputed this claim, stating the agents actually bumped into them. The FBI and ICE are currently reviewing the shooting, which occurred while the agency was searching for a different target. The district attorney noted that the unsealing of the search warrant before the investigation was complete was an unusual move that allowed a potentially false narrative to circulate.
Sources
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Substance found in work van of Mexican man killed by ICE tested negative for drugs, prosecutor says
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Substance in Houston ICE shooting van was not drugs, district attorney’s office says testing confirms
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No narcotics found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s work van, congresswoman says
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Bags in vehicle of man fatally shot by ICE did not contain drugs, Texas DA says
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