Son of man fatally shot during ICE operation says father ‘did not deserve to die’

The son of a man who was fatally shot during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Houston is demanding a full investigation, saying his father was a hardworking family man who "did not deserve to die."

Speaking during a press conference on July 8, Ronaldo Salgado remembered his father, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, as someone whose life revolved around providing for his family after spending more than three decades working in the United States.

"For the majority of the last 35 years of his life in the United States, he began the day the same way, and always ended it by coming home, sitting on the porch, eating a hearty meal made by my mother, going to sleep and doing it all over again the next day," Ronaldo said.

According to Ronaldo, the morning of July 7 began like any other. His father left home shortly before 6 a.m. to pick up members of his construction crew before heading to a job site.

However, the family later learned that Lorenzo had been shot during an ICE enforcement operation in Houston's Magnolia Park neighborhood.

Ronaldo said he initially searched for his father's work van before finding videos of the incident circulating on social media.

"I recognized him immediately, not from his appearance, but from his voice, crying for help as he lay on the street, bleeding out," he said.

He also criticized the way his family learned about Lorenzo's death, saying they received no immediate notification from authorities or the hospital.

"I learned of my father's passing from a news report on social media, not the hospital, not law enforcement," Ronaldo said, adding that he had to inform his mother before she discovered the news herself online.

Describing his father as a devoted husband, father and construction worker, Ronaldo said Lorenzo had spent decades helping build homes throughout the Houston area while pursuing legal work authorization in the United States.

"After nearly 35 years of working to give us the American dream, he made the choice to begin the process of attaining his American dream through a work permit," Ronaldo said, explaining that his father had completed every required step and was close to obtaining legal status.

He urged people to remember Lorenzo for the life he lived rather than the circumstances surrounding his death.

"He did not deserve to die. He did not deserve to be reduced to a headline," Ronaldo said. "He deserved to live a quiet life as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a husband, a father, and a job creator for dozens of men who also wanted the American dream."

ICE, however, offered a different account of the incident.

In a statement, the agency said officers attempted to stop Lorenzo's vehicle shortly before 7 a.m. during what it described as a targeted enforcement operation. According to ICE, Lorenzo allegedly ignored repeated verbal commands, rammed an agency vehicle and attempted to strike an officer with his vehicle, prompting an agent to fire in what the agency described as self-defense. Lorenzo was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

The fatal shooting has sparked public outrage, with hundreds of demonstrators gathering in Houston's Magnolia Park neighborhood to call for accountability and leave flowers at a growing memorial near the scene.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has also called for a thorough investigation, urging U.S. authorities to fully clarify the circumstances surrounding Lorenzo's death and ensure accountability.