Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, during a raid in a Houston neighborhood.
The Department of Homeland Security released the account provided by the agents involved, stating that they fired in self-defense because the undocumented Mexican man allegedly assaulted and rammed them with his vehicle.
Two other individuals were fleeing alongside Salgado Araujo and appeared to be unharmed, but authorities have not provided their version of events.
In a statement, the DHS said that “on July 7, 2026, at approximately 6:50 a.m., ICE agents attempted to stop a vehicle as part of a targeted enforcement operation to arrest an illegal alien.”
“The driver of the vehicle, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo—an alien unlawfully present from Mexico—attempted to evade arrest. According to information we are receiving, he rammed an ICE vehicle, refused to comply with multiple verbal commands, and used his vehicle as a weapon in an attempt to run over an agent, prompting our agent to discharge his weapon in self-defense.”
“The driver was wounded, and emergency services were contacted immediately. The driver was transported to the hospital, where he died from his injuries,” the department said in a statement provided to the local NBC affiliate.
It noted that the FBI is leading the investigation into the incident and is currently at the scene.
