Bags in vehicle of man fatally shot by ICE did not contain drugs, Texas DA says

U.S. newsBags in vehicle of man fatally shot by ICE did not contain drugs, Texas DA saysLorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 51-year-old father of three, was killed by ICE during a traffic stop in Texas in early July. A family attorney said a substance alleged to be drugs was salt to combat the heat.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an ICE law enforcement officer during a July 7 traffic stop.LULAC Institute via GoFundMeShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 24, 2026, 10:29 PM EDTBy Suzanne Gamboa and Dennis RomeroHOUSTON — A substance investigators found in a van driven by a man fatally shot by ICE earlier this month was not an illegal narcotic, the Harris County District Attorney’s office said Friday.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 51-year-old father of three, was fatally shot by an ICE law enforcement officer during a July 7 traffic stop the agency said turned life-threatening. The government has alleged he weaponized the vehicle, but that argument has been disputed by others in the van.After the fatal shooting, an FBI agent said small bags consistent with drug packaging that contained a substance resembling methamphetamine could be seen in plain view inside the vehicle. The bureau obtained a search warrant, allowing agents to search the van. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office said Friday on X that the seized substance “tested negative for narcotics/ illicit drugs.” It said it would not comment further on the results, citing the pending investigation. “We have notified Salgado Araujo’s family because we felt they had the right to know,” the DA’s office said. David Donatti, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas, said in a statement Friday that Salgado Araujo was a “hardworking man” who built houses for Texas families.“The government has demonstrated that it is more interested in creating a false narrative than in see...