Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed by an ICE agent after a substance in his work van tested negative for illicit drugs.
The Harris County District Attorney’s office confirmed that a white substance found in the work van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo tested negative for narcotics. The discovery refutes an FBI affidavit that suggested the substance was methamphetamine. Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a construction worker who lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was fatally shot by an ICE officer on July 7 during a traffic stop. While the administration argued that Salgado Araujo weaponized his vehicle and attempted to ram an officer, witnesses in the van disputed this claim. The Salgado Araujo family maintained that the white substance was actually granulated salt used to create a homemade electrolyte mix for hot weather. The findings were released following a Congressional Hispanic Caucus hearing in Houston. Although the Department of Homeland Security initially suspended vehicle stops after this and another fatal shooting in Maine, President Trump swiftly overturned that decision. The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing as the district attorney evaluates potential criminal wrongdoing by the agents.