Commissioners approve $2.5M for Harris Co. DA's independent investigation into fatal ICE shooting

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Harris County commissioners made available $2.5 million in taxpayer dollars for the District Attorney's office to continue an investigation into a deadly shooting involving ICE in Houston.

Commissioners approved the funding in a unanimous vote on Thursday.

At a news conference before the vote, District Attorney Sean Teare did not immediately disclose exactly what the money would be used for. Teare said the funds may go toward anything the independent investigation needs, which may include hiring more full-time personnel, overtime pay, or seeking outside counsel, if needed.

Teare said the money will be spread over the next three years, although it may not take that long to determine whether charges will be filed.

"I can tell you, we are much closer to be able to make that determination now than we were a few weeks ago, but we're not there yet," Teare said.

Teare mentioned that the independent investigation is already facing challenges in gathering evidence, such as the large amount of data that has to be obtained from cars that were around the scene of the deadly shooting that happened a month ago.

Also present at the press conference were Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis. ABC13 asked Ellis why the county is spending $2.5 million on one case with the county facing a $130 million deficit.

"You prioritize," Ellis said. "You always do that. You couldn't do that for every case that comes up, but there's something special. Something unique about this case that at least touched me."

After the news conference, a vote by the commissioners approved the spending. One of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo's sons was in attendance.

Salgado Araujo's killing by ICE made national headlines and revived controversy regarding deadly shootings by agents amid the Trump administration's efforts to ramp up deportations.

The Harris County District Attorney's Office vowed to conduct an independent investigation into the deadly shooting. The FBI and the Texas Rangers are also conducting their own investigation into the deadly shooting.

In July, Harris County commissioners warned that increased fees and program cuts could be coming as the county faces a $129M deficit.