The \u201ccrystal-like substance\u201d the FBI found inside the van of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo \u2014 the 52-year-old who was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Houston\u00a0earlier this month \u2014 was not an illicit drug, according to U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, the Harris County District Attorney\u2019s Office and a lawyer representing Salgado Araujo\u2019s brother.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can now confirm that the substance found in Lorenzo Salgado\u2019s van was not a narcotic or any other illicit substance,\u201d Garcia said on social media, without revealing the source of the information. \u201cAs his family has said all along, this was an electrolyte powder to stay hydrated working outside in the hot Texas summer. The attempt to cast a shadow over Lorenzo Salgado\u2019s name has failed.\u201d<\/p>\n
District Attorney Sean Teare\u2019s Office said in a statement that it was not commenting on the test results \u2014 which have not been publicly released by the FBI \u2014\u00a0 but that it also has \u201cbeen notified that lab testing of the substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo\u2019s van was negative for narcotics\/ illicit drugs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruby Powers, a Houston immigration attorney who is representing Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo, Lorenzo\u2019s brother, said the Texas Department of Public Safety, which tested the substance, told Salgado Araujo\u2019s family the preliminary test results show it wasn\u2019t an illegal drug.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Powers added the full lab results will come Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn unproven claim was allowed to circulate before it was tested, and the way it was made public did real damage, diverting attention from what actually matters in this case. Lorenzo was shot, and no lab report answers for that,\u201d Powers said.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office for the Southern District of Texas said it does not have \u201cany additional information to provide at this time,\u201d and DPS spokesperson Sheridan Nolen said the agency is not commenting on the investigation since it\u2019s ongoing. The FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which are investigating the shooting, didn\u2019t immediately respond to emails from The Texas Tribune seeking comment.<\/p>\n
Last week, the FBI, in an affidavit seeking a search warrant, wrote that an agent spotted plastic bags inside Salgado Araujo\u2019s van and suspected that they contained methamphetamine<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n FBI Special Agent David McNeilly, who filed the search warrant application, wrote in the affidavit the three \u201csmall clear plastic bags are consistent with how users of drugs package controlled substances for distribution, manufacturing, and possession.\u201d<\/p>\n The application for the search warrant was made public a day after it was filed in court on Tuesday \u2014 unusually fast for federal agents, who don\u2019t typically publicize such information before a search has been completed.<\/p>\n