Son of Houston Man Shot by ICE Agent Speaks Out: ‘He Did Not Deserve to Die’ as Family Demands Full Investigation

The son of a Houston construction worker who was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during an operation last week is speaking out with raw emotion, sharing how his father lived and calling for a complete investigation into the shooting that took his life.

Ronaldo Salgado described his father, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, as a steady, hardworking man who had spent nearly 35 years in the United States building a quiet life for his family. In a press conference on July 8, he recalled how his dad started almost every day the same way — up before dawn, with his wife sending him off with lunch and coffee, then heading out to pick up his crew and work on job sites across the Houston area before coming home to eat on the porch and do it all again the next day.

That routine ended on the morning of July 7. Lorenzo left home shortly before 6 a.m. A short time later, near Canal Street in the Magnolia Park neighborhood, he was shot by an ICE agent. Ronaldo said he had no idea anything was wrong until he started looking for his father’s work van and came across a video on Facebook showing a man lying on the street. He recognized his dad immediately — not by how he looked, but by the sound of his voice crying out for help while bleeding.

Even more painful, Ronaldo learned of his father’s death the same way many people first heard about it — through a news report on social media. He said he had to call his mother right away to tell her before she found out the same way he did.

Lorenzo had been in the process of getting legal work authorization and was close to obtaining it after years of filling out paperwork and attending appointments. Ronaldo said his father had spent decades working to give his family the American dream and had recently started creating jobs for other men trying to do the same.

ICE has said the shooting happened during a targeted enforcement operation. According to the agency, officers tried to stop Lorenzo’s vehicle around 6:50 a.m. after he allegedly refused verbal commands. ICE claims he rammed one of their vehicles and then attempted to run over an agent, at which point an officer fired in self-defense. Lorenzo was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Ronaldo and his family are not accepting that account at face value. They are calling for a full, transparent investigation into exactly what happened that morning. Hours after the shooting, Ronaldo also posted on Facebook questioning the official version of events and asking people not to share graphic videos or images from his father’s final moments.

The community has shown up in large numbers. On July 8, hundreds of people gathered in Magnolia Park, marching along Canal Street and leaving flowers and tributes at a growing memorial where Lorenzo was shot. Protesters are demanding accountability.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has also weighed in, calling for a thorough investigation and urging U.S. authorities to clarify all the facts and deliver justice for Lorenzo and his family.

Through the grief and anger, Ronaldo has been clear about how he wants his father remembered. He said he hopes people see Lorenzo Salgado Araujo as a husband, a father, and a family man who worked hard and helped others — not simply as someone who became a headline.

“He did not deserve to die,” 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.”