ICE officer fatally shoots Mexican man in Houston, family disputes account

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed during a "targeted enforcement operation" in east Houston, and the gap between the government’s account and his family’s account has widened as investigators face questions about the stop, the shooting and the lack of body-camera footage. ICE says the 52-year-old Mexican national was in a vehicle when officers tried to stop him around 6:50 a.m. and that he attempted to evade arrest.

His son, Ronaldo Salgado, said Araujo had lived in the United States for 35 years and was working toward a work permit, and he called for an independent investigation. "He did not deserve to die," Ronaldo Salgado said. Witnesses detained during the incident, speaking through their attorney, have disputed the federal version of events, and local elected officials have also called for an independent investigation.

ICE’s force policy permits officers to use force only when no reasonably effective, safe and feasible alternative exists, and only the level of force that is objectively reasonable under the facts confronting them at the time; excessive force is prohibited. DHS guidance measures those decisions against the Fourth Amendment’s reasonableness standard, and the officer who fired in Houston was not wearing a body camera.

Mexico is considering legal action over the shooting. Democrats in Maine are racing to replace Graham Platner, who suspended his Senate campaign on Wednesday, July 9, after a sexual assault allegation. The state party has until July 27 to choose a replacement nominee for the race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, while Jared Golden and Patrick Dempsey have said they are not interested.