HOUSTON — A passenger who witnessed the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an immigration enforcement operation in Houston said Thursday that the Mexican immigrant did not threaten federal agents and planned to surrender, disputing the government’s account that he rammed a law enforcement vehicle and forced an agent to fire in self-defense.
Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, 51, who federal authorities released from custody Wednesday, told CNN that Salgado Araujo never attacked or threatened the officers during the July 7 traffic stop.
“That’s a lie,” Rojas Pliego said of ICE’s initial account.
The Department of Homeland Security said it is investigating the agent-involved shooting but did not directly address Rojas Pliego’s account. The FBI’s Houston field office is investigating a potential assault on a federal officer.
Rojas Pliego said agents forcibly removed the van’s three passengers and fatally wounded Salgado Araujo. He said agents pulled Salgado Araujo from the vehicle, placed him on the ground and lifted him to handcuff him.
“We were only going to work,” Rojas Pliego said. “I only ask for justice for him, his family and the workers.”
Salgado Araujo, 52, was driving the van when ICE agents stopped him in Houston’s East End on July 7. ICE initially said he rammed a law enforcement vehicle and refused commands before an agent shot him.
Rojas Pliego said he saw no agents positioned in front of or behind the van and said Salgado Araujo intended to comply.
Salgado Araujo’s family has also disputed the government’s self-defense account. His relatives said he would have stopped if he had known that the vehicles following him belonged to ICE or other law enforcement agencies.
Federal officials have not released video or photographs of the stop or shooting. A DHS spokesperson told CNN that the agents involved did not have body-worn cameras.
The DHS Office of Inspector General is leading the investigation into the shooting, according to ICE. The FBI is separately investigating the alleged assault on a federal officer.
Rojas Pliego entered the United States in 1998, according to court records. His attorney said he has no U.S. criminal record and is married under common law to a U.S. citizen.
After his release, Rojas Pliego remained in removal proceedings and must wear an ankle monitor and report regularly to ICE, according to his attorney, Hugo Balderas-Ibarra. His attorney said he may qualify for a visa and work authorization available to certain crime victims.
Federal prosecutors filed a motion the same day seeking to keep Rojas Pliego detained while they pursue an appeal. His legal team said it will oppose the request.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting have drawn calls for an independent investigation from Texas Democratic lawmakers, activists and Salgado Araujo’s family.
Federal officials have also faced scrutiny over an allegation that investigators found illegal drugs in Salgado Araujo’s van after the shooting. The FBI cited the suspected drugs in a warrant application that later became public.
Salgado Araujo’s family disputed the allegation, saying the substance was salt used to make a homemade electrolyte drink. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office later confirmed that testing showed the substance was not drugs.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said the substance should not affect investigations into whether agents legally stopped Salgado Araujo and his passengers or whether the shooting was justified.
Federal authorities said agents had been searching for two Guatemalan men who allegedly drove a white van and had previously evaded arrest when they encountered a similar van on July 7.
U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz said the similar van fled when officers attempted to stop it. Agents detained three other people inside, including Salgado Araujo’s brother.
Salgado Araujo’s oldest son said his father had picked up the final members of his construction crew before heading north to work on several homes. The family said Salgado Araujo had previously experienced vehicle and tool thefts and had remained cautious about people following him.
Rojas Pliego described Salgado Araujo, whom he called “El Patron,” or “The Boss,” as someone whose death changed his family permanently.
“Things will never be the same with my family,” he said.
