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A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a man in Houston after he tried to flee arrest in his car during surgery on Tuesday, the agency said.
The Department of Public Safety (DHS) said in a statement that the suspect ignored orders to stop and tried to attack an employee who fired his weapon in self-defense. The man's car hit an ICE vehicle, according to the department, which oversees ICE.
The statement identified the man as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who is of Mexican origin, and said he was living in the country without legal permission. It said federal agents were conducting an operation targeting Araujo and that he died at the hospital.
The FBI office in Houston is investigating the attack on a law enforcement officer, said department spokesman Connor Hagan. In addition, representatives of the bureau's evidence response team responded to the incident at the request of DHS to investigate the scene, he said.
Democratic US Representative Sylvia Garcia said the shooting happened during an ICE operation in her Texas state. He said in the X post that the agency released the first account, but the details needed to be independently verified and investigated.
“All available photographs, communications, and other evidence must be preserved and reviewed as part of a full and impartial investigation.”
I am aware of the fatal shooting that occurred during an ICE operation in my district in the Magnolia Park area this morning.
ICE has released a preliminary account, but the facts must be independently and thoroughly investigated, including circumstances…
— RepSylviaGarcia
Roman Palomares, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, echoed that call: “We've seen a pattern of ICE engaging in shootings and excessive use of force,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“Every time the family is left without answers, the community is left with fear.”
Mary Benton, a spokeswoman for Houston Mayor John Whitmire, said in a written statement that Tuesday's incident was the result of a “state operation,” and that Houston police were “not involved.”
Asked by Reuters if the police were investigating the incident, Jodi Silva, a spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department, said “to my knowledge, no.”
There have been at least six fatal shootings by federal officials since the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration began.
As news continues about the shooting of Minneapolis woman Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent, a new video shows the encounter from the officer's perspective — including footage showing Good turning the steering wheel and driving forward before the officer opened fire.
Last year, a transit agent shot and killed a 23-year-old American citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, during a late-night riot. A grand jury declined to file criminal charges against the agent. DHS said the agent fired at the vehicle after the driver “intentionally hit” his co-worker. Video of the incident released by authorities does not clearly show the car hitting the agent.
In January, 37-year-old American citizen Renee Good was shot in the head by an immigration agent during a raid in Minneapolis. DHS also said Good was trying to hit the agent with his car, which local officials and witnesses disputed, saying he was just trying to drive it.
