Days after the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, Houstonians plan a community vigil and a protest on Saturday in hopes of getting transparency about the details of his death.
On Tuesday, 52-year-old Salgado was shot by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent for allegedly trying to evade arrest and weaponizing his car against agents, according to the federal agency. Witnesses have refuted those claims, and Houston officials question ICE’s account of the shooting.
Community members in Houston rallied together after the shooting to demand a local, independent investigation into Salgado’s death and raised more than $400,000 to support his family members.
Mayor John Whitmire initially said local authorities did not have the jurisdiction to look into the shooting, and that neither the city nor Houston police would investigate. However, after the Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday that it would conduct its own probe into the shooting, Whitmire said HPD would help with the investigation.
A community vigil for Salgado is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at the Service Employees International Union Texas office, 3219 Harrisburg. Later a protest is planned for 6 p.m. at City Hall, 901 Bagby.
“It is up to us to maintain the pressure in the streets and in City Hall,” the social media post for the protest said. “We will not rest until justice is served for Lorenzo and his family! We will not rest until there is full accountability for the ICE agents responsible for Lorenzo’s death!”