HOUSTON – Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday evening in Houston’s Magnolia Park neighborhood to demand answers and justice following the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an ICE enforcement operation.
Protesters marched along Canal Street chanting “ICE out of Houston” and dropped off memorabilia at a growing memorial marking the spot where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed Tuesday morning.
Candles, flowers, handwritten notes and crosses now surround the memorial as community members continue paying tribute to Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said protester and local artist Sarah Fisher. “It’s not the first. It’s been heartbreaking watching this happen across the country from L.A. to Minneapolis, Chicago, and now here. It’s unacceptable.”
Fisher spent much of Wednesday creating a portrait of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, incorporating dry-cleaning identification stickers into the artwork to spell out “SOS” and “XOX,” symbols she said represent both a cry for help and love.
“I wanted to get Lorenzo’s beautiful likeness,” Fisher said. “I’m honored that I had a skill I can offer to help.”
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico who attempted to avoid arrest during a targeted enforcement operation Tuesday morning.
ICE officials said Lorenzo Salgado Araujo tried to drive his van into an ICE agent, prompting another agent to open fire in self-defense.
During a Tuesday morning news conference alongside the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Ronaldo Salgado, described his father as a hardworking family man who had lived in the United States for 35 years and spent decades helping build homes throughout the Houston area.
“My father was a simple man. A family man,” Ronaldo Salgado said. “He dedicated his life in the United States to giving his family the American dream.”
Ronaldo Salgado also said Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was in the process of obtaining a work permit and called for an independent investigation into his father’s death.
“He did not deserve to die,” Ronaldo Salgado said. “He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of Mexican man shot and killed by ICE.”
Many demonstrators echoed those calls Wednesday.
“They haven’t investigated nothing,” protester Roberto Del Toro said. “That’s why everybody’s out here looking for justice.”
The protest drew several elected officials, including U.S. Reps. Al Green, Christian Menefee and Sylvia Garcia, who joined demonstrators calling for transparency in the investigation.
The Houston Police Department said in a statement that federal law does not give local law enforcement independent jurisdiction to investigate federal agencies.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare also said federal agencies are exclusively handling the investigation.
However, on Wednesday, investigators from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office were seen canvassing the area where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed.
Newly released surveillance video also appears to show the moments an ICE vehicle stopped the van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo before the fatal shooting.
As the investigation continues, dozens of people remained at the memorial Wednesday night, lighting candles and leaving flowers in honor of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo while continuing to demand answers surrounding his death.