A man who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Houston while on his way to work Tuesday was not the target of their immigration operation, according to a source with preliminary details about the incident.
The shooting took place around 7 a.m. as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo attempted to evade arrest when agents tried to conduct a traffic stop, ICE said in a previous statement, describing it as a “targeted enforcement operation.” The agency did not specify whether he was the target.
Texas authorities had previously notified ICE about two individuals — neither of whom was Salgado Araujo — traveling in a white van believed to be in the United States without legal status, according to the source, prompting them to surveil the vehicle.
The agents then conducted surveillance on a target’s address, and weeks prior to the incident, they noted two white vans at the property, a Homeland Security official told CNN.
“On July 7, officers were almost at the target’s address when they observed a white van with an individual who resembled the target. Officers then initiated the vehicle stop,” the official added.
