Texas DA says substance found in van of man shot by ICE tested negative for drugs

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare announced on Friday that laboratory analysis of a powder recovered from the van driven by Lorenzo Salgado Araujo tested negative for narcotics or other illicit substances. Araujo, a 51-year-old father of three, was fatally shot by an ICE officer during a traffic stop on July 7 that the agency later described as life-threatening.

Federal agents had obtained a search warrant and reported seeing small bags resembling drug packaging inside the vehicle. The DA’s office said it would not comment further while the investigation remains ongoing, but confirmed the family had been notified of the test results.

Representatives for Araujo’s family have challenged the government’s account. ACLU of Texas senior staff attorney David Donatti called the narrative “false,” while lawyer Ruby L. Powers, who represents Araujo’s brother Victor, said the substance was likely a homemade electrolyte mix made from granulated salt, lemon and water used by outdoor workers. Powers added that full lab results are expected next week and that premature claims have “diverted attention from what actually matters in this case.”

The findings were disclosed hours after a Congressional Hispanic Caucus hearing in Houston, where Rep. Bennie Thompson and other members questioned the handling of the search warrant. Teare noted that unsealing the warrant on the day it was signed was unprecedented in his two-decade career. Lawyers for other passengers in the van described any suggestion of drug involvement as “absurd.”

Araujo’s son, Lorenzo Salgado Jr., testified that ICE initially claimed his father was a target and later admitted he was not, also disputing the allegation that the vehicle was weaponized. No body-camera footage has been released, and ICE has not identified the officer who fired the fatal shot. The shooting remains under investigation.