County Commissioner Rodney Ellis speaks as he and Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare address the media on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a news conference in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, left, and County Commissioner Rodney Ellis speak to the media on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a news conference in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare speak on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a news conference in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare speak on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a news conference in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare speaks to the media on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a news conference in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, left, and County Commissioner Rodney Ellis make their way to the podium to speak on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a news conference in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare leave a news conference afar speaking on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare leave a news conference afar speaking on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare, left, and County Commissioner Rodney Ellis speak to the media on an independent investigation by local authorities into the fatal shooting by ICE agents of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during a news conference in Houston, Monday, July 13, 2026. Salgado was shot an killed during a federal immigration enforcement operation in Magnolia Park on July 7.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle
A week after an ICE agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare’s office still doesn’t know the names of the agents who were there.
“That is unacceptable,” Teare said during a Monday news conference.
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis said he will present a proposal to the commissioners court to fund Teare’s independent investigation into Salgado’s death, which the DA said should be treated no differently than any other officer-involved shooting.
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Teare said it was hours after the shooting before investigators from his office were able to get onto the scene. He said his office has spoken with Houston-area Homeland Security investigators and ICE special agents-in-charge, but they aren’t leading the investigation, and his office has not been in contact with the federal branch that is investigating.
Salgado, 52, was killed during an ICE operation in the Magnolia Park neighborhood. He was driving his crew to work for the day when ICE agents began chasing the vehicle in unmarked SUVs with no sirens or cameras to record the encounter, according to Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who represents the area where the shooting took place.
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“The DA’s office is conducting a parallel independent investigation for this case just like we do in every officer involved shooting where someone loses their life,” Teare said. “We are so grateful to Commissioner Ellis and our commissioners court for working with us to help fund what we need to do.”
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He called again for any witnesses to send in information about what they saw the morning of July 7 when Salgado was killed. He has created a link for the public to file what they saw that day.
“Whether or not you think what you have is relative or not, send it,” he said. He said his office has received more than 100 communications from the public on this matter.
Teare said he expects the investigation to be lengthy and that investigators are taking every avenue available to his office to get “every shred of evidence,” including eyewitness statements.
“We cannot do it without the support of the public and the commissioners,” Teare said. “We are running this investigation so we can be transparent. Regardless of what happens with the investigation. We will let the public see why we got to that determination.”
Harris County commissioners are currently in discussions about the county’s upcoming budget. Teare said he did not have specifics on what funding is needed, but any funding approved would go toward investigators with the DA’s office.
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ICE officials have said that Salgado used his van to ram an agency vehicle and attempted to run over an agent. Three of Salgado’s employees — Daniel Tirado Pantoja, Jose Trinidad Rojas and Victor Salgado — were in the van and have different accounts of what happened last Tuesday morning.
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They are currently at an ICE processing center in Conroe.
In the week after the shooting, multiple days of protests and vigils have taken place and calls from elected officials and leaders for an independent investigation into the killing continue.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo she supports Ellis’ proposal in a Monday afternoon statement on social media.
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“I know that a local investigation into an ICE incident is a tall order. For one, we depend entirely on the federal government’s willingness to share information. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do everything we can to find answers,” Hidalgo said. “All of us rallying around the District Attorney’s investigation is the best way to maximize our chances of success.”
Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones also supported the move, saying her office has heard from many Harris County residents on this issue over the past week.
“Our United States Constitution guarantees due process and equal protection to all. After a series of inconsistent statements and a lack of transparency from the federal government, we are taking action locally,” she said in a statement.
Ellis said Salgado’s life had value and that his family and the American people deserve answers.
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“Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was a father, a husband, a small-business owner and a valued member of this community,” he said during the news conference. “This is not the first time federal immigration agents have killed people in the streets. We’ve seen this unfold in communities across our country and we know all eyes of the nation happen to be on Harris County right now.”