SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Three passengers in the van that was involved in a fatal shooting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Houston are disputing the agency's account of the incident. Those men were detained by ICE during the encounter Tuesday and have remained in a detention facility just outside of Houston since. Houston Public Media's Bianca Seward has been covering the story this week and is joining us now. Hi, Bianca.
BIANCA SEWARD, BYLINE: Hi.
DETROW: We spoke earlier this week, when a lot of details still hadn't come out. Now we've learned a lot more. So tell us who these passengers are and what they had said about what happened.
SEWARD: Yeah. The three men in the van who were traveling to work with the victim, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, are now speaking out for the first time about their experience through their lawyer. First, ICE agents said Tuesday afternoon that during the encounter, Salgado Araujo had, quote, "weaponized his vehicle" and was attempting to run over an ICE agent when the agent fired his weapon.
Hugo Balderas, the lawyer representing two of the detainees, said at a press conference earlier today that when he spoke with his clients, they said there was never an ICE agent directly in front of their car. And they say that the shots from ICE came from the side of the car. Balderas also said that the men tell him they've been pressured by ICE officers at the detention center to sign self-deportation papers.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
HUGO BALDERAS: I can tell you that my clients will forever be physically and emotionally scarred by this killing. None of these families will ever be whole again.
SEWARD: These accounts will be critical in any investigation since the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that the agents were not wearing any body cameras during the encounter.
DETROW: Video evidence has been so important in figuring out what actually happened with earlier ICE shootings. Do we know why these agents were not wearing body cameras?
SEWARD: DHS said in a statement that officers had not been issued body-worn cameras due to the, quote, "back-to-back Democrat shutdowns." Democratic Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, who represents the district where the shooting happened, said that she spoke with acting ICE Director David Venturella and was told there is no dashcam video of the incident either.
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SYLVIA GARCIA: Then I reminded him that through the big, ugly bill, they got billions and billions of dollars. IN this last vote that we had, they got more money, and they still have not put body cameras on everyone.
SEWARD: The agency has said that all field officers will have body cameras within the next 60 days. Garcia also told us that she was told Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the operation. She says it was one of the other passengers in the van that had, quote, "final removal orders." In a statement, DHS said ICE agents saw an individual resembling their target in the van when the officers initiated the encounter.
DETROW: What are the next steps here?
SEWARD: For now, the Federal Bureau of Investigations is still the lead agency handling the inquiry, but their focus is of the potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer. Advocacy groups and the family of Salgado Araujo have asked for an independent investigation. Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare confirmed Thursday his office is gathering information and investigating, but says they've not been invited by the federal agencies to collaborate. And because so, they may not be privy to all the evidence the FBI or DHS collects.
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SEAN TEARE: When someone in our community loses their life at the hands of law enforcement, that is the ultimate breach of trust with our community. And if we aren't transparent, if the people don't believe that we are actively investigating and holding ourselves and law enforcement accountable, we will lose that trust so quickly.
SEWARD: He's asked the public to share any video or witness accounts with his office.
DETROW: There had been calls for Houston's police department to investigate this. Houston's mayor, John Whitmire, said that won't happen. Is that still the case?
SEWARD: The Houston Police Department is still not conducting its own investigation. Mayor Whitmire just held a press conference, and he said he's supporting the DA's investigation. He says he's asked that the FBI begin sharing information. Houston Police Department Chief Noe Diaz also sent a letter to the FBI office here in Houston to offer assistance and support the investigation. Chief Diaz says they will meet with FBI Special Agent in Charge Jason Hudson on Tuesday to discuss a path forward.
DETROW: Houston Public Media's Bianca Seward. Thank you.
SEWARD: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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