Federal immigration agents who killed a man during a traffic stop in Houston on Tuesday had been searching for a different person, according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson.

The targets of the investigation were two people from Guatemala, one of whom the agents believed was in a white van being driven by the man, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who were not permitted to speak about the case.

But the Guatemalan immigrants were not in the van. Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant who had lived in the United States without authorization for 35 years, was on his way to work with three other men.

When agents tried to stop the vehicle, the encounter quickly escalated, and an agent shot Salgado Araujo in the abdomen. He died at a hospital hours later.

Homeland Security officials said Salgado Araujo had tried to use his vehicle as a weapon, though no video or other evidence for that claim has emerged.

Federal agents had surveilled an address connected to one of the two Guatemalans weeks before and had seen two white vans at the property, the spokesperson said in a statement. When they returned to the address Tuesday, she said, “they observed a white van with an individual who resembled the target,” and initiated the traffic stop.

The agents were not wearing body cameras, according to the spokesperson. Before trying to stop the van, the agents had looked into its owner and learned it was Salgado Araujo, who did not have legal status in the United States, according to the two people familiar with the case.

The shooting is part of a growing number of similar violent interactions involving civilians and immigration agents. More than 20 people have been shot at since September, nearly all of them in their cars. Some cases have been fatal. The shooting also comes as the Trump administration has ramped up its deportation campaign.

The killing of Salgado Araujo has incited outrage in Texas and beyond. Salgado Araujo’s sons said during a news briefing Wednesday that they believed their father tried to get away because he was being chased by unmarked cars. Ronaldo Salgado, his oldest son, and a growing number of elected officials and immigration activists have demanded an independent inquiry.

“This is outrageous to me, and this is ridiculous to hear that no one in that van was a target of any sort of investigation,” Ronaldo Salgado said in response to the news that his father was not being sought by federal agents.

Federal authorities had said earlier that agents with ICE stopped a vehicle around 6:50 a.m. Tuesday and tried to arrest Salgado Araujo, whom they described as an “illegal alien.” ICE alleged that Salgado Araujo “weaponized his vehicle” and tried to run over the agent, who then fired at him.

The other passengers in Salgado Araujo’s vehicle, according to a person familiar with the case, were Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, Daniel Tirado Pantoja and Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo, the victim’s younger brother.

Dominga Aguilar Salgado, who is married to a third Araujo brother, said the family has not talked to Victor Salgado Araujo, who remains in immigration detention in Conroe, Texas, north of Houston.

“Imagine, one of them died and the other is in a detention center,” Dominga Salgado said. “The family is going through a lot. He saw what really happened.”

During an emotional news briefing Wednesday, Ronaldo Salgado held back tears as he described seeing a video showing his father in agony moments after he was injured. Videos on social media and from news outlets appear to show immigration agents hovering over a man holding his abdominal area. Other images showed another man on the ground with his hands behind his back as someone screamed in pain.

About 40 people attended a vigil Thursday night at the site of the shooting. An impromptu memorial was decorated with candles, flowers, rosaries, balloons and photos of Araujo. Some of the signs left there read, “We will not look away” and “every life is valuable regardless of immigration status.”

“I live not far from here and it just felt important to pay our respects,” said Nishta Mehra, 42, adding, “It’s important not to pretend like this isn’t happening.”

The Department of Homeland Security inspector general’s office is conducting an investigation. The FBI’s Houston office said it will focus its investigation into what authorities have called an assault on a federal law enforcement officer.

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Edgar Sandoval and Hamed Aleaziz/Meridith Kohut
c. 2026 The New York Times Company