HOUSTON – FOX 26 has received the statements given from two of the passengers who were detained during the deadly shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
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When Araujo was shot and killed on Canal Street in early July, three other passengers were in the vehicle with him that day. They were taken into custody by the ICE agents at the scene.
Statements from two witnesses
What they’re saying:
Jose Trinidad Rojas Pilego and Daniel Tirado Pantoja’s statements about what happened the day of the deadly shooting were shared with FOX 26. In both statements, Pilego and Pantoja state ICE agents were not in front or behind the vehicle.
Pilego’s statement says they ran into ICE and Araujo’s brother told him to turn back around and drop them off. The ICE agents allegedly chased them and they became cornered.
He goes on to say they told Araujo to stop the van but they already fired once. Pilego says the ICE officers shot even after Araujo stopped the van.
Pilego stated, “There wasn’t a single officer behind or in front of us, they were only on the sides.”
Pantoja claimed the ICE agents following them in a vehicle hit them from behind and shortly after, struck them again on Lorenzo’s side of the vehicle. Pantajo stated Araujo said, “Ya me han matado”, which translates to “They’ve already killed me.”
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He said after officers took Araujo, an agent came up and switched guns with the agent that shot at Araujo. In his statement, Araujo had the vehicle in park while agents were shooting.
ICE shooting on Canal Street
The backstory:
At the time of the shooting, Araujo’s family said he was picking up three workers, including Pilego and Pantoja, on his way to a construction job.
A federal prosecutor has said that ICE officers that morning were targeting two Guatemalan men who were potentially subject to deportation and driving a van similar to Salgado Araujo’s vehicle.
ICE officers claim they were trying to conduct a stop on Salgado Araujo’s work van when he rammed their vehicle, refused to follow verbal commands and tried to run over an officer. The agency says the ICE officer shot Salgado Araujo in self-defense.
The Associated Press reports that the passengers, according to their attorneys, have disputed DHS’s account of the shooting.
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