'He did not deserve to die,' son of man fatally shot by ICE officer in Houston says
The son of a Mexican national who was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Houston on Tuesday is calling for an independent investigation into what occurred.
"He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline of 'Mexican man shot and killed by ICE,'" Ronaldo Salgado said during a press conference on Wednesday.
ICE alleged in a statement that its officers attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo around 6:50 a.m. on Tuesday. Araujo is allegedly undocumented and didn't follow verbal commands, according to ICE.
This is the second ICE-involved shooting in less than a week.
The agency alleged that Araujo "weaponized his vehicle" and tried to run over an officer during the stop, prompting the officer to fire their weapon "in self-defense."
"The driver was struck, and emergency services were immediately contacted. The driver was transported to the hospital, where he passed away from his injuries," ICE said in a statement.
The FBI is now investigating the situation.
Ronaldo Salgado -- joined by the League of United Latin American Citizens, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Tex., Harris County Commissioner Lesley Briones, and Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Tex. -- said he is "deeply heartbroken" by the loss of his father.
"He dedicated his life in the United States to giving his family the American dream. He raised my brothers and I on the idea of education taking us so far in life," Ronaldo Salgado said.
"I am deeply heartbroken to see that the man who taught me the value of hard work, family values, and education will no longer spend an evening on that porch," he said of his father and his family's home.
The death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo comes six days after an ICE officer discharged his weapon after the agency alleged a suspect "weaponized his car" and fled in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The suspect in that incident has not been found.
