US News
Federal judge orders release of second witness in fatal Texas immigration shooting
A passenger in the van where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed by an ICE officer has been ordered freed from detention.
The short version
- A U.S. district judge in Houston ordered the release of Daniel Tirado Pantoja, the second witness freed from custody after a fatal July 7 shooting by an ICE agent.
- The Department of Homeland Security claimed the driver, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, weaponized his vehicle, while passengers allege the van was put in park as agents fired.
- A third passenger and brother of the deceased driver, Victor Salgado, remains in federal custody as his request for release awaits a decision.
Key facts
- U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett ordered the release of Daniel Tirado Pantoja, finding he was not a flight risk or danger to the community.[Associated Press]
- Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on July 7 in Houston.[Associated Press]
- Passenger Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego was previously released from federal detention.[Associated Press]
- Victor Salgado, the brother of the deceased driver and a passenger in the van, remains in detention while seeking release.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Accounts of the shooting conflict; DHS stated the agent acted in self-defense against a weaponized vehicle, whereas passengers stated agents were not in front of the vehicle and that it was put in park while shots were fired.[Associated Press]