The federal immigration agent accused of fatally shooting Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston this summer has been identified as Gregory Feathers, according to reporting by The Texas Tribune.
The Tribune reported Sept. 28 that an official familiar with the investigation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, identified Feathers as the agent who shot Salgado Araujo. Records obtained by the Tribune also corroborate Feathers’ role in the July 7 incident.
Feathers has not been charged with a crime. The Department of Homeland Security has defended the shooting as self-defense.
The identification comes nearly three months after Salgado Araujo, 52, was killed during a pursuit involving ICE agents in Houston. His family, lawmakers and local officials
had repeatedly called for the identities of the agents involved to be released.
Who was Gregory Feathers?
According to The Texas Tribune, Feathers is an ICE agent who had previously retired and was rehired within the past two years.
His name appeared in an ICE Form I-213, a report detailing agents’ account of the pursuit and shooting. The document was mistakenly released by the U.S. Attorney’s Office last month and later sealed. Other records obtained by the Tribune identify Feathers as one of two arresting agents involved in the pursuit and show that he called paramedics after the shooting.
A passenger in Salgado Araujo’s van, his brother Victor, also identified Feathers from a photograph as the person who shot his brother. The Tribune reported that the identification was separately confirmed by the official familiar with the investigation.
What happened to Lorenzo Salgado Araujo?
Salgado Araujo was driving a white van in Houston on July 7 when ICE agents pursued the vehicle, USA TODAYreported.
ICE agents said they were conducting a targeted enforcement operation and that Salgado Araujo attempted to evade arrest. Federal officials have said he rammed an ICE vehicle, refused commands and used his vehicle in an attempt to hit an officer.
ICE has maintained that the agent fired in self-defense.
Passengers in Salgado Araujo’s van have disputed the federal account. They told attorneys and investigators that they did not know the people pursuing them were immigration agents because the agents were driving unmarked black SUVs.
Victor Salgado Araujo has said the agent fired through the van's window while on foot, striking his brother in the stomach.
Why was the ICE agent's name not released sooner?
The federal government has generally withheld the names of immigration agents involved in shootings during the Trump administration, including from members of Congress.
That differs from the practices of many state and local police agencies.
The four largest police departments in Texas — Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio — typically identify officers involved in shootings within days, although circumstances can delay the release.
What happened before the shooting?
Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was driving in the Houston area early July 7 when ICE agents attempted to stop his vehicle, according to federal officials and reporting by USA TODAY.
ICE initially believed Salgado Araujo's van was associated with people the agency was seeking for immigration enforcement. The agency later acknowledged that agents had mistaken Salgado Araujo for someone else when they attempted to stop him.
ICE said Salgado Araujo ignored orders and "weaponized" his vehicle by attempting to run over an agent. The agent then fired in self-defense, killing Salgado Araujo, according to the agency.
The original tip that led to the pursuit was unrelated to Salgado Araujo or his passengers. ICE agents were initially surveilling other people before spotting Salgado Araujo's van in the same area.
Salgado Araujo, 52, was a Mexican national and construction worker who had no criminal record. He was the father of three U.S. citizens.
Were ICE agents wearing body cameras?
No. USA TODAY previously reported that the officers involved in the Houston shooting were not wearing body cameras, despite an ICE policy issued in February requiring their use during immigration enforcement activities.
The lack of cameras is part of a broader issue with ICE's rollout of the technology. In March, then-acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Congress that only about 3,000 of roughly 13,000 ICE officers actively wore body cameras, according to USA TODAY.
After the Houston shooting, the Department of Homeland Security said more than half of ICE field offices had received body cameras and that the remaining offices were expected to receive them within 60 days.
DHS attributed delays in deploying the cameras to government shutdowns. USA TODAY reported that DHS had also previously said ICE would ensure each arrest team had at least one person wearing a body camera.
For the Houston shooting, however, there was no body camera footage from the four ICE agents involved.
Were drugs found in Salgado Araujo's van?
A white substance found in Salgado Araujo's van was initially described as potentially methamphetamine in an FBI search warrant application. Laboratory testing later found that the substance was not an illicit drug.
USA TODAYreported that the FBI application, filed after the shooting, described baggies containing a white substance as consistent with methamphetamine. But the Harris County District Attorney's Office said July 24 that laboratory testing found the substance was not a narcotic or illicit drug.
The substance was crystallized salt used to make inexpensive hydration drinks, which are common among construction workers in Houston's heat.
The finding is separate from the investigation into whether the ICE agent was justified in using deadly force.
What happens next?
The Harris County grand jury is expected to review evidence and witness testimony as the investigation continues. The outcome could include criminal charges, but there is no indication that Feathers has been charged at this point.
The investigation could also provide more information about the pursuit, the use of force, and the actions of the four ICE agents involved.
The case is one of several recent shootings involving federal immigration agents in Texas. The Texas Tribune reported that at least three people have been killed by Department of Homeland Security immigration agents in Texas since President Donald Trump returned to office, including Salgado Araujo.
Brandi D. Addison covers weather across the nation as the Weather Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network and contributes to Texas Connect coverage across the state. She can be reached at baddison@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Facebook here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ICE agent who allegedly shot Houston man identified. Here’s what we know
