Judge frees second Houston witness detained after ICE agent's fatal shooting

A Houston federal judge ordered the release of Daniel Tirado Pantoja, the second surviving passenger from a work van whose driver, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, was shot dead by a federal immigration officer on July 7. Tirado Pantoja had been held for over a month, but Judge Alfred Bennett determined he lacked a criminal history and was neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community. His attorney, Ross Miller, expressed relief that his client could rejoin his family.

The van also carried Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego, who was freed last month, and Victor Salgado, the brother of the slain driver, who remains in custody and has filed for his own release. DHS, which maintains the officer acted in self-defense, did not respond to requests for comment. The surviving passengers continue to dispute the agency’s account of the incident.