HOUSTON – Newly obtained surveillance video is providing the clearest look yet at the moments leading up to the deadly ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston’s East End, as new details about where he was shot and expert analysis raise additional questions about what happened.
This comes as The New York Times reports that ICE intended to target two people from Guatemala who were not in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s van on Tuesday.
The videos, obtained by KPRC 2, capture the final moments before Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed by an ICE agent on Tuesday during what federal officials described as an attempted immigration enforcement operation.
The Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s death a homicide, listing the cause of death as a penetrating gunshot wound to the torso.
Houston Fire Department officials also confirmed to KPRC 2 that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot in the right side of his abdomen.
Home surveillance shows Lorenzo Salgado Araujo leaving for work
Just about an hour before the shooting, home surveillance video shared by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s son, Ronaldo, captured what appeared to be an ordinary morning.
“My dad got dressed, grabbed his lunch and coffee,” Ronaldo said during a news conference.
The video shows Lorenzo Salgado Araujo leaving his home, climbing into his white work van and driving away.
“He just wanted to live a simple life of work and family, and that got taken away from us,” Ronaldo later said.
The family has continued demanding answers in the days following the shooting.
On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was not the person ICE agents were initially looking for.
New surveillance video captures pursuit
The surveillance footage appears to show Lorenzo Salgado Araujo making a sharp left turn from Wayside Drive onto Canal Street before hopping a curb.
An unmarked black SUV can be seen following closely behind. The vehicle then appears to maneuver around the van through a construction zone and into the oncoming lane of traffic.
Video from another nearby camera appears to show a second SUV moving toward the van moments before all of the vehicles come to a stop.
Additional footage from the aftermath appears to show someone being removed from the passenger side of the van, although the video quality makes it difficult to clearly identify the individuals involved.
Department of Homeland Security officials have said Lorenzo Salgado Araujo ignored verbal commands, rammed an ICE vehicle and attempted to run over an ICE agent before an agent fired in self-defense.
Former Secret Service agent says videos are inconclusive
KPRC 2 asked former U.S. Secret Service agent Mike Matranga, founder and CEO of M6 Global Defense Group, to independently review the surveillance footage.
After reviewing multiple videos, Matranga said he could not determine whether the use of deadly force was justified based on the publicly available footage alone.
“It’s really hard to determine if the use of force that was applied was justified because the videos just simply are not very good to be able to determine or distinctly tell if the use of force was appropriate,” Matranga said.
Matranga said one video appears to show the ICE vehicle making an aggressive maneuver while attempting to stop the van.
“What it looks like as they were turning left, it looked like to me that the black vehicle in the course of trying to enact the felony stop looks like they struck the van,” Matranga said.
He added that the available footage is too limited to determine who initiated contact or whether the damage to the van occurred during the stop.
Location of gunshot raises questions, expert says
After learning Lorenzo Salgado Araujo had been shot in the right side of his abdomen, Matranga said investigators will need to explain how that aligns with ICE’s account that an agent fired because they feared being run over.
“There’s going to have to be some pretty good clear indication and explanation of why this individual was shot from the passenger side on the right side,” Matranga said. “I think that changes the perspective a little bit and changes the narrative. It complicates things."
The new surveillance footage comes as the Department of Homeland Security confirmed to KPRC 2 that the ICE agents involved in the shooting were not wearing body cameras.
Matranga said dash camera footage, eyewitness testimony and investigators’ interviews with the agents involved will likely be critical in determining whether the shooting was legally justified.
“It’s too early for me to make a determination whether I think that deadly use of force was appropriate,” Matranga said.
Family says Lorenzo Salgado Araujo feared for his life
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s family has repeatedly disputed the government’s account, saying he had been working with attorneys to obtain legal status and would have complied had he known law enforcement was attempting to stop him.
Instead, his son believes his father thought he was being followed by people trying to steal his work van.
“He was scared,” Ronaldo said. “He was scared more than anything.”