Sean Teare said Harris County is investigating Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s fatal shooting like any other criminal case, after officials said they still do not know which ICE agent fired the shot.
Hours passed before county investigators got onto the scene, Teare said, calling federal agencies’ lack of cooperation unprecedented and warning the effort could take months or years.
Rodney Ellis said he will seek county funding for an independent probe, while officials noted ICE agents had no body cameras and only patchy business surveillance video exists.
ICE says the 52-year-old weaponized his van and an agent fired in self-defense, but three detained men in the vehicle and Salgado Araujo’s brother dispute that account and say no officer was in danger.
The July 7 shooting happened during an ICE operation targeting another man, according to Rep. Sylvia Garcia, deepening local demands for transparency and concerns that ICE tactics are deterring crime witnesses.