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The Harris County District Attorney’s Office could take a major step in its investigation of the fatal ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. Prosecutors may pursue criminal charges if evidence shows that a federal agent violated Texas law.
District Attorney Sean Teare has described the Harris County ICE shooting investigation as an independent criminal inquiry. His office has issued dozens of subpoenas while seeking evidence and identifying the agents involved.
ICE Agent Shot Salgado Araujo in Houston
Salgado Araujo, 52, was shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on July 7. He was driving his brother and two coworkers to a construction job when agents stopped his white work van in Houston’s Magnolia Park area.
The Department of Homeland Security said Salgado Araujo attempted to evade arrest and used the van as a weapon. DHS said the agent fired in self-defense after Salgado Araujo tried to run over an officer.
The three passengers have disputed that account. Two witnesses said in federal court statements that agents stood beside the van, rather than in its path.
Federal officials later acknowledged that Salgado Araujo was not the person agents originally intended to arrest. DHS also said the agents did not record the encounter with body cameras.
Criminal Charges Remain Possible
Teare said his office is prepared to charge federal agents if investigators find evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
“If the case and the evidence directs us that criminal wrongdoing occurred, we are more than prepared to file criminal charges,” Teare said.
Any criminal case would likely require prosecutors to present evidence to a Harris County grand jury. Grand jurors could then decide whether probable cause exists to issue an indictment.
No agent has been charged. A homicide ruling from the medical examiner describes how a person died and does not automatically establish that a crime occurred.
Federal Evidence Remains a Major Issue
The district attorney has accused federal agencies of withholding important information. As of late July, Teare said DHS and ICE had not provided the name of the agent who fired the fatal shot.
Federal authorities also had not shared other evidence normally available during an officer-involved shooting investigation. Teare called that lack of cooperation unprecedented during his 20 years in law enforcement.
The FBI is investigating whether a federal officer was assaulted. The DHS Office of Inspector General and the Texas Rangers are also reviewing the shooting.
Houston officials have provided prosecutors with a 911 recording, METRO bus camera footage and other resources, according to the City of Houston.
Substance in Van Was Not an Illegal Drug
An FBI search warrant had raised questions about small bags containing a white substance inside Salgado Araujo’s van. The affidavit suggested the material could have been methamphetamine.
Testing later found that the substance was not a narcotic or other illegal drug, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirmed. Attorneys for the passengers said the workers carried salt to mix with water during construction work in the Texas heat.
DHS has not said suspected drugs played a role in the original traffic stop or shooting.
Investigation Could Take Months
Harris County commissioners have formally supported Teare’s investigation. Commissioner Rodney Ellis has also proposed providing continued county funding for the inquiry.
Teare has warned that reaching a final decision could take months or possibly years, particularly without full federal cooperation.
The outcome will determine whether the shooting remains a federal administrative matter or moves into a Texas criminal courtroom. For Salgado Araujo’s family and Houston’s Latino community, the investigation represents the primary local effort to establish an independent account of what happened.