The top prosecutor in the Houston area said Tuesday his office is prepared to bring criminal charges against federal immigration agents if investigators determine they acted unlawfully in the fatal shooting of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an ICE operation last week.
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told CBS News his office has opened an "independent, transparent investigation" into the July 7 shooting and has already issued "dozens" of subpoenas.
"As we go forward, and if the case and the evidence directs us that criminal wrongdoing occurred, we are more than prepared to file criminal charges against the people, regardless of whether or not they are federal agents or civilians," Teare said. "You can't come into our community, take someone's life, and then hide behind a badge."
Teare said investigators are examining potential offenses including murder, criminally negligent homicide and tampering with evidence. He also criticized the lack of cooperation from federal authorities, saying ICE had yet to identify the agent who fired the fatal shot.
"We have not received a single name of an ICE agent from ICE that was involved in that shooting," Teare said. "Even in non-fatal shootings with federal partners, we know the name of the individual that was involved that day."
Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare tells @CBSNews his office is "more than prepared" to file criminal charges against federal ICE agents if criminal wrongdoing is found in the fatal shooting of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston last week.
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) July 14, 2026
"You can't… pic.twitter.com/0PAHBT29d4
The district attorney also questioned the tactics used during the operation, saying they "in no way resemble" the training or practices of the law enforcement agencies with which he has worked.
The shooting occurred after ICE agents stopped Salgado Araujo's work van in Houston's Magnolia Park neighborhood. The Department of Homeland Security initially said he attempted to strike an agent with the vehicle, prompting the officer to fire in self-defense. DHS later acknowledged the agents had been looking for a different person and stopped the van because its driver resembled their intended target.
Salgado Araujo's family disputes the government's account, saying he was driving construction workers to a job site and had lived in the United States for more than three decades without a criminal record. Three passengers, including his brother, remain in ICE custody and have said agents fired from the side of the van after emerging from unmarked vehicles.
Teare said his office has certified U visa requests for the three men to help prevent their deportation while the investigation continues. "They're the three eyewitnesses to this shooting," he said. "There are not many things that are more important in this investigation than their recollections."
Separately, Houston Mayor John Whitmire and Police Chief J. Noe Diaz Jr. asked the Texas Rangers on Tuesday to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting, saying an outside review would help ensure the process is handled independently and transparently. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General are also investigating the incident.
