{"id":367048,"date":"2026-07-22T19:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T00:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/passengers-in-ice-shooting-say-officers-not-in-danger-driver-was-parked"},"modified":"2026-07-22T19:15:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T00:15:06","slug":"passengers-in-ice-shooting-say-officers-not-in-danger-driver-was-parked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/passengers-in-ice-shooting-say-officers-not-in-danger-driver-was-parked","title":{"rendered":"Passengers in ICE taking pictures say officers not at risk, driver was parked"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \"><span class=\"oyrPY qlwaB AGxeB \">HOUSTON &#8212; <\/span>The immigration officer who shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston was not in danger of being run over, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ice-shooting-houston-lorenzo-araujo-salgado-93aa1fdf11e89422027d8b9c963a9b64\">two passengers in his van<\/a> told a federal court this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The Department of Homeland Security said shortly after the July 7 shooting that Salgado Araujo had \u201cweaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer,\u201d and that the officer had fired in self-defense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">But two men who were riding with Salgado Araujo wrote in statements submitted in court that the officers with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement were to the sides of their van, never in front or behind it; one of them described the government\u2019s account as \u201ca lie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Salgado Araujo, who was living without legal status in the U.S. for 35 years and running a homebuilding business, died that morning in front of his construction crew, including his own brother. His family said he had no criminal record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">His killing, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/immigration-shooting-dhs-maine-609c03d1b31097b9fe56522cf75099ab\">one of at least 10 during immigration enforcement operations<\/a> since the start of President Donald Trump\u2019s mass deportation campaign, <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/houston-vigil-man-ice-shot-family-a8a316bd2f8f9faa08cc7fcc0a7b6e11\">sparked widespread protests<\/a> in Houston and calls for an i <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/ice-migrant-houston-mexico-lorenzo-salgado-araujo-f0171a06248dc8ad4968d3e742f1b299\">ndependent and transparent investigation.<\/a> The officers were not wearing body cameras, and no photos and videos of the shooting have surfaced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The three men who were with him that morning were arrested, and are now in immigration detention facilities. They have each filed habeas corpus petitions, alleging their confinement is unconstitutional and asking the court to order their release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego and Daniel Tirado Pantoja attached their accounts of the shooting to their petitions, which was <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2026\/07\/21\/texas-houston-ice-shooting-witnesses-statements\/\">first reported by the Texas Tribune<\/a>. They both wrote that they have been in the U.S. for decades and have no criminal history. Victor Salgado, the brother of the man killed, has also asked a judge to order him released. But his attorney asked the court that his petition be sealed to protect his privacy, so his account of the killing is not yet public.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Rojas Pliego wrote in Spanish that Salgado Araujo picked him up at 6:30 that morning, which was their daily routine. They then picked up the other two men.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Tirado Pantoja said a vehicle soon began following them, \u201calmost crashing\u201d into their van. He wrote that they were \u201cstartled\u201d and ran over a curb attempted to turn around.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">The ICE vehicle chased them, Rojas Pliego wrote, and Salgado Araujo eventually thought they lost the tail. Then suddenly, the agents had them cornered. <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Tirado Pantoja wrote that the ICE vehicle hit them from behind, then again on the driver\u2019s side.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">DHS, which oversees ICE, has said it was the other way around: they allege Salgado Araujo rammed the ICE vehicles with his van. A federal prosecutor in Texas has said that ICE officers were targeting two Guatemalan men who were potentially subject to deportation and driving a van similar to Salgado Araujo\u2019s. DHS said he ignored commands and attempted to run over the officer with his vehicle, and the officer fired in self-defense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Rojas Pliego wrote that\u2019s \u201ca lie\u201d and \u201cimpossible:\u201d \u201cthere wasn\u2019t a single officer behind or in front of us, they were only on the sides.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Tirado Pantoja, too, wrote that the agents were never in front of the vehicle, adding that Salgado Araujo had \u201cput vehicle in park as the agents were shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Rojas Pliego wrote that the officers pulled Salgado Araujo wounded out of the car, handcuffed him and \u201cthrew him to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Tirado Pantoja wrote that Salgado Araujo at some point said \u201cYa me mataron\u201d \u2013 \u201cthey\u2019ve already killed me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Rojas Pliego wrote that the same officer who fired the shot then \u201cdragged us out violently, throwing us to the ground while we were handcuffed and chained from head to toe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Aaron Reitz, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, issued a statement last week promising a full investigation by his office, the FBI, DHS and state and local law enforcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u201cWe are doing everything we can to seek the truth and do the right thing,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">DHS said in a statement Wednesday that its Office of Inspector General is also investigating. It said the FBI&#8217;s Houston office \u201cis leading an investigation into the potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">A judge on Monday barred the government from deporting Rojas Pliego or removing him from the district without the court\u2019s approval. A different judge, overseeing Tirado Pantoja\u2019s case, on Wednesday ordered the federal government to notify the court with at least five days notice if they plan to transfer him outside of the district or deport him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Raed Gonzalez Olivieri, a lawyer representing both men, wrote in their petitions that the circumstances of their detentions \u201care exceptional: those who now administer his custody shot at him at close range.\u201d The petition says that puts them at increased risk of emotional and physical pain while incarcerated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Both men applied for visas designed to protect immigrants who are victims of crimes and assist law enforcement. Gonzalez Olivieri wrote in their petitions that they survived \u201caggravated assault with a deadly weapon\u201d and are material witnesses to the killing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">___ <\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC eTIW sUzSN \">Associated Press reporter Valerie Gonzalez contributed to this report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/US\/wireStory\/passengers-texas-ice-shooting-officers-danger-driver-parking-135001458\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>HOUSTON &#8212; The immigration officer who shot and killed 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston was not in danger of being run over, two passengers [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":343121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[40295,41110,536,1913,6002,41174,11787,38989,609,102,41175],"class_list":["post-367048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-aaron-reitz","tag-daniel-tirado-pantoja","tag-driver","tag-federal-government","tag-federal-prosecutor","tag-federal-regulation-enforcement-officer","tag-identical-officer","tag-lorenzo-salgado-araujo","tag-president","tag-texas","tag-victor-salgado"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=367048"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":367050,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/367048\/revisions\/367050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=367048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=367048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.etrafficlane.com\/60dollarmiracle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=367048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}