Lorenzo Salgado Jr. disputes DHS's account of his father's shooting
Lorenzo Salgado Jr.Son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo; witness at a public forum led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia
Lorenzo Salgado Jr., a son of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, wrote in testimony for a public forum that DHS had not given the family straight answers, that DHS first said ICE targeted his father and then admitted he was never the intended target, that the three men in the van have directly disputed the claim that he weaponized his vehicle, and that the surveillance footage made public so far does not appear to show it.
“Although multiple investigations are currently under way, we still haven’t gotten straight answers from DHS about what happened. DHS first said ICE "targeted" our father — then admitted he was never their intended target at all. DHS also said he "weaponized" his vehicle — a claim the three men who were in the van with him have directly disputed, and one that the surveillance footage made public so far does not appear to show.”
Original text
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Was ICE justified in fatally shooting Lorenzo Salgado Araujo?
On July 7, 2026, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Houston construction contractor Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an attempted vehicle stop. ICE said the officer fired in self-defense after Salgado Araujo tried to run over an officer with his van. Passengers said no officer was in the van’s path and that Salgado Araujo had stopped before the shot. A later Justice Department account described possible vehicle movement with an officer beside or partly inside the van but expressly reserved any final conclusion.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Written testimony of Ronaldo Salgado and Lorenzo Salgado Jr. for the September 22, 2026 forum led by Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Robert Garcia. Each paragraph is marked with the initial of the brother it belongs to.
Official statement
About this source
Press release from Sen. Richard Blumenthal's office, dated September 22, 2026, listing the witnesses at the forum on fatal shootings by federal immigration agents and quoting their written testimony.
Before the quotation
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, ranking member of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Rep. Robert Garcia, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, held a public forum on September 22, 2026 on fatal shootings by federal immigration agents, including the July 7 shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. Lorenzo Salgado Jr. and his brother Ronaldo testified about their father's death.
After the quotation
He went on to say that DHS also claimed there may have been drugs in the vehicle, which he said testing later proved false.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the ICE officer was justified in fatally shooting Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. In this passage of written testimony, Lorenzo Salgado Jr. said DHS first said ICE targeted his father and then admitted he was never the intended target, that the three men in the van have directly disputed the claim that his father weaponized the vehicle, and that the surveillance footage made public so far does not appear to show it. He challenged the description used to justify the shooting, so we labeled it Challenged the characterization.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
More from this case
Read the full caseHouse Oversight Democrats say Salgado Araujo was wrongfully killed by ICE agents
House Oversight Democrats
“Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was a hard-working man wrongfully killed by ICE agents at a traffic stop.”Read statement
Ronaldo Salgado asks Congress to hold ICE accountable for what it has done to his family
“Third: use your powers as members of Congress to enact laws that rein in ICE and protect the rights and lives of immigrants in this country. We are not the only family living this nightmare. Look at the people sitting next to us. They too have had a loved one killed by ICE—a father, a mother, a daughter or son. ICE is killing people, whether on the streets or in detention centers—and millions of immigrants and their loved ones are living in fear that they might be next. Hold ICE accountable for what it’s done to our family and so many others, and do everything you can to make sure this never happens again.”Read statement
Al Green calls the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo unjustified
“That is because the President of the United States, Donald John Trump, is covering up unjustified killings of civilians, including Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Lorenzo Salgado Jr. disputes DHS's account of his father's shooting
- First published
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- https://disputeindex.com/events/3481-lorenzo-salgado-jr-a-son-of-lorenzo-salgado
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Lorenzo Salgado Jr. disputes DHS's account of his father's shooting". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3481-lorenzo-salgado-jr-a-son-of-lorenzo-salgado