What You Need to Know
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston on Tuesday.
• The officer was not wearing a body camera due to funding lapses from government shutdowns.
• Salgado Araujo was reportedly attempting to ram an officer’s vehicle when he was shot.
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston on Tuesday. The officer was not equipped with a body camera because the Houston field office had not received them due to delays caused by government shutdowns. Salgado Araujo had lived in the United States for decades and was driving a crew to a homebuilding site at the time of the incident. According to the Department of Homeland Security, he was shot after allegedly ignoring multiple verbal commands and trying to ram an officer’s vehicle. He was taken to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries. Federal officials have not released any video or images of the shooting.
Why It Matters
This incident highlights ongoing issues surrounding the use of body cameras by law enforcement agencies, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security has indicated that funding interruptions have delayed the procurement of body cameras for ICE officers. With a significant increase in assaults against ICE officers reported, the provision of body cameras is now a priority for the agency. The circumstances surrounding Salgado Araujo’s death raise questions about the targeting of individuals living in the U.S. without legal permission and the protocols followed during such operations.
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