At a news conference Friday, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said he met with Lorenzo Salgado’s family and called for unity.

HOUSTON — Houston Mayor John Whitmire is calling for an independent investigation into Tuesday’s fatal ICE shooting of Lorenzo Salgado, saying the city will continue pushing for answers despite what he says are challenges created by federal control of the investigation.

“We are doing and will not rest until we have an independent thorough investigation,” Whitmire said Friday during a news conference with U.S. Rep Sylvia Garcia, HPD Chief Noe Diaz and others.



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Whitmire said the city has reached out to multiple agencies, including the FBI, Texas Rangers and DPS, while working with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. He said Police Chief Noe Diaz has requested information from the FBI that can be shared with local investigators. 

But Whitmire said the city faces hurdles because federal authorities control much of the evidence.

“The FBI has all the evidence,” Whitmire said. “In this instance, the van, the passengers, the deceased. And they’re tightly controlling it.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security said the DHS Office of Inspector General was handling the investigation of the shooting of Salgado, while the FBI was looking into allegations that Salgado used his vehicle as a weapon.

Whitmire said the city is seeking access to that information and wants a local investigation into what happened. He criticized the actions of ICE agents involved in the operation, saying the federal agency was responsible for what he called an unacceptable situation.

“We recognize that it is a federal police agency that was out of control Tuesday morning,” Whitmire said. “You don’t do what ICE did Tuesday morning. Unmarked vehicle, a chase.”

The mayor also emphasized that Houston police were not involved in the operation. He said the department follows a policy of not interacting with ICE.

Whitmire also said he met with Salgado’s family, saying their lives changed forever. He described them as “an outstanding, law-abiding, hardworking family” and asked Houstonians to consider what they are going through.

The mayor said the impact of the shooting extends beyond one community, calling it “a Houston issue” and saying residents are united in wanting more information about what happened.

This news conference follows one from Friday morning with Garcia, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, attorney Hugo Balderas-Ibarra, Rep. Al Green, and others. 

After Whitmire’s news conference, Cesar Espinosa with FIEL Houston sent out the following statement:

“WE DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY. ICE DOES NOT GET TO BE JUDGE, JURY, AND EXECUTIONER ON OUR STREETS. We still need a thorough, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY AN INDEPENDENT  investigation as to what led up to the cold-blooded slaying that unfolded in the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 7, 2026, on our Houston Streets. Mayor Whitmire’s encouragement of an agency controlled by Trump to have a fair and transparent investigation is an insult to the community’s wishes. The city should pull out all the stops and investigate the death of one of its own residents. It has been done and it needs to be done in Houston. Further, we once again remind the mayor and council must do everything in their power and demonstrate true leadership by demanding ICE leave our residents alone.  We want to encourage the community that if they saw something, they need to say something.  We need no more words; we need actions. Engagement is not enough.”   

RELATED: What to know about the fatal shooting of a Houston man by an ICE officer

RELATED: Rep. Sylvia Garcia, Harris County DA give update on fatal ICE shooting

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