A Mexican national suspected of being in the United States illegally was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston on Tuesday morning after authorities said he tried to use his vehicle as a weapon. The incident happened around 6:50 a.m. Central Time during what ICE described as a targeted enforcement […]

A Mexican national suspected of being in the United States illegally was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Houston on Tuesday morning after authorities said he tried to use his vehicle as a weapon.

The incident happened around 6:50 a.m. Central Time during what ICE described as a targeted enforcement operation. Agents were attempting to stop a vehicle as part of an effort to arrest a person suspected of being in the country unlawfully, according to KRIV-TV in Houston.

ICE identified the man as Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. The agency said Araujo did not cooperate with officers during the attempted stop.

According to ICE, Araujo rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle, ignored multiple verbal commands, and then tried to drive toward an officer. The agency said the officer fired in self-defense after Araujo allegedly “weaponized” the vehicle in a way that posed a deadly threat.

“From information we are receiving, he rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle, refused to follow multiple verbal commands, and weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer resulting in our officer firing his weapon in self-defense,” ICE said in a statement cited by KRIV.

The agency said the FBI is now leading the investigation into the shooting.

The Houston Fire Department said Araujo was shot on his right side and taken to Ben Taub Hospital. First responders performed CPR before and during transport, according to KPRC-TV. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

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Authorities said three other suspects were detained after the incident.

The shooting comes as ICE officials say officers have faced an increase in attacks during enforcement operations, including incidents involving vehicles. According to The Associated Press, ICE policy allows officers to fire at a vehicle when they believe the driver poses an imminent threat of death or serious injury.

Vehicle-related confrontations involving ICE agents have drawn attention in other parts of the country as well. In one recent case on July 1 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, an ICE agent opened fire during an attempted arrest, according to Fox News. ICE said agents were trying to take Clemente Lara-Hernandez, a Mexican national, into custody when he allegedly struck an officer with a vehicle and drove the wrong way down a one-way street before crashing.

Lara-Hernandez fled the scene and was apparently not injured, according to reports.

ICE officials have said their officers are facing sharply higher risks during enforcement actions. In a statement after the Harrisburg incident, the agency said assaults, vehicular attacks, and death threats against ICE officers had increased significantly while agents were carrying out arrests.

The Western Journal