Laboratory results from July 24, 2026, confirmed that a substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s van after he was fatally shot by an ICE agent was electrolyte powder, not narcotics. Despite initial federal claims of drug packaging, witnesses and family members maintained the powder was for hydration. The investigation continues as officials demand the identity of the shooter and the release of full lab reports on July 27, 2026.
- Laboratory tests confirmed the substance was electrolytes, not narcotics, in the van of the man killed by ICE.
- Witnesses dispute federal claims that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo attempted to weaponize the vehicle before being shot.
- Lawmakers and officials demand increased transparency as the identity of the agent involved remains undisclosed by authorities.
Officials confirmed on July 24, 2026, that material taken from Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s van tested negative for narcotics after an ICE agent fatally shot him during a traffic stop in Houston.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office said it had been notified of the laboratory result and told the family. The shooting happened around 6:50 a.m. on July 7.
FBI Special Agent David McNeilly wrote in an affidavit that bags found inside the van were “consistent with how users of drugs package controlled substances.” Federal claims also described the material as consistent with methamphetamine.
Testing by the Texas Department of Public Safety instead identified a homemade electrolyte powder, according to the case materials. The powder consisted of granulated salt, lemon and water, attorneys for the passengers said.
The result addresses the substance. It does not resolve the shooting.
District Attorney Sean Teare said the passengers’ account did not fit the drug allegation.
“Based on what we've learned about the passengers, it's inconsistent that drugs were in the van.”
Ruby Powers, an immigration attorney representing the family, said the allegation spread before testing could establish what the bags contained.
“An unproven claim was allowed to circulate before it was tested, and the way it was made public did real damage, diverting attention from what actually matters in this case. Lorenzo was shot, and no lab report answers for that.”
Full laboratory results are expected on Monday, July 27, 2026.
Witnesses challenge the account that the van was used as a weapon
Attorneys for the surviving passengers said the electrolyte mixture was intended to keep construction workers hydrated during extreme Texas heat. Daniel Tirado Pantoja and Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego said the van had come to a full stop when agents fired.
Federal authorities claimed the driver had “weaponized” the vehicle by attempting to ram agents. Three witnesses disputed that account, including the victim’s brother, Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo.
The officers involved were not wearing body-worn cameras. That leaves witness accounts and federal descriptions central to the dispute over the vehicle’s movement and the agents’ response.
The shooting took place during an enforcement operation in the city’s Magnolia Park neighborhood. Agents were reportedly searching for two people from Guatemala when they stopped the van.
The victim was a 52-year-old construction worker who had lived in the United States for 35 years. He owned a construction business, had no criminal record and was the father of three U.S. citizen children.
His son, Ronaldo Salgado, described the incident as a “Kafkaesque nightmare” and said his father had devoted his life to the “American dream.”
Victor Hugo Salgado Araujo remains in agency custody despite being a witness to the shooting. The case prompted local protests and a boycott, and some businesses closed in solidarity with the family.
Court orders protect one witness while his case proceeds
Federal filings produced U-visa certifications for both surviving passengers. The certifications, dated July 13, identify them as victims of alleged violent crimes.
A separate order limits the government’s ability to move one of them while his habeas petition proceeds.
| Date | Court or case development |
|---|---|
| July 13 | U-visa certifications identified the two surviving passengers as victims of alleged violent crimes. |
| July 20 | U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison ordered the government not to deport Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego or transfer him outside the Southern District of Texas while his habeas petition is pending. |
| July 24 | The government faced the court-ordered deadline to respond to the petition. |
The order concerns Rojas Pliego’s custody and location during the litigation. It does not decide whether the van had stopped or whether agents reasonably used deadly force.
People facing immigration detention and criminal or habeas proceedings may need advice tailored to the facts, jurisdiction and procedural posture of their cases.
Officials demand the agent’s name and more transparency
U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, said the laboratory finding supported the family’s account that the substance was used for hydration.
“We can now confirm that the substance found in Lorenzo Salgado’s van was not a narcotic or any other illicit substance. As his family has said all along, this was an electrolyte powder to stay hydrated working outside in the hot Texas summer. The attempt to cast a shadow over Lorenzo Salgado’s name has failed.”
A congressional oversight forum titled “Seeking Justice: Oversight of ICE’s Use of Force in the Death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo” took place July 24 at the Harris County Commissioners Court.
During the forum, Teare criticized federal authorities for a lack of transparency. Authorities still had not released the name of the agent who fired the fatal shot.
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas declined to provide additional information or comment after the negative test result. The district attorney’s office said it notified the family because relatives had the right to know.
The shooting has also been placed within a broader tally of immigration-enforcement violence. Since January 20, 2025, immigration agents from the agency and Customs and Border Protection have been involved in at least 41 shootings resulting in 11 deaths, according to figures cited in the case coverage.
The incident has been reported as at least the eighth death during the current administration’s immigration-enforcement campaign. Those broader figures include both agencies and do not determine what happened during the July 7 stop.
The complete laboratory report is expected July 27. Its release may provide additional testing details, while the identity of the agent who fired remains unresolved.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
