Lorenzo Salgado Araujo shot and killed by ICE agent in Houston, authorities confirm: Live updates

Aaron Reitz took the oath of office earlier this month and, in his first statement, wrote that "Things are about to get very bad for criminals in the Southern District of Texas."

Reitz is the top federal law enforcement officer in the Southern District of Texas - an area that includes 43 counties and 10 million people. It stretches from Houston to the U.S. southern border.

He took office just two days after the ICE shooting death of undocumented immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo. DHS said Salgado Araujo was not the target of their enforcement operation but tried to run over an officer with his van. Witnesses have refuted that, but Reitz said his office is among the agencies investigating what happened and they want the truth.

"The investigation is still ongoing," he said. "We draw no conclusions from what happened. Obviously it was a tragedy. But right now we don't know much. We have reason to believe it is not the hysterical, vigilante sort of justice that was happening."

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A federal judge on Monday ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to release from their custody one of the witnesses to a federal immigration agent's fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.

Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego must be released from detention within 48 hours of the order, which was issued Monday evening. Authorities must release Rojas Pliego in a public space and give his attorneys notice at least three hours beforehand, according to the order.

Rojas Pliego, a Mexican citizen, was one of three men who were passengers in Salgado Araujo's van when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers began following the group and ultimately shot the longtime Houston resident. Rojas Pliego has lived in the United States since 1998, has several children and stepchildren who are U.S. citizens, and has no criminal record, according to the order.

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It's been nearly three weeks since a man was shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on Canal Street.

The Department of Homeland Security, from the beginning, has said the ICE agent shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo because he was trying to run over an agent.

Something his family and the other four men in his van that morning have disputed.

On Saturday, community members gathered to hold a procession and vigil for him in Magnolia Park as they seek the truth about what happened.

Community members told ABC13 it was about honoring Salgado Araujo as well as all the immigrants who have helped build communities throughout Houston.

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The substance found in Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's van was "not a narcotic or any other illicit substance," according to Rep. Sylvia Garcia and attorney Ruby Powers.

"As his family has said all along, this was an electrolyte powder to stay hydrated while working outside in the hot Texas summer. The attempt to cast a shadow over Lorenzo Salgado's name has failed," Garcia said on social media.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office later confirmed Garcia's claim that the substance was not drugs, adding that testing found the substance tested negative for narcotics. The DA's office did not comment further as the investigation is ongoing.

Ruby Powers, attorney for the Salgado family, said in a statement that the family confirmed the latest testing, and they were told that DPS has the results.

Powers' statement read in part:

The preliminary report is already clear: the substance was not a controlled substance. 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.

Powers called for Victor, Lorenzo's brother, to be released from ICE custody and emphasized the family's demand for an independent investigation and accountability.

The FBI, which is conducting the federal probe into the deadly shooting, has not yet released any details about what exactly it found the substance in Araujo's van to be.

Read the full report: Congressional Hispanic Caucus holds hearing in Houston on deadly ICE shooting