Substance found in van driven by man fatally shot by ICE in Houston was not a narcotic, DA confirms

HOUSTON -- 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 latest testing was confirmed by the family, who were told that DPS has the result.

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.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus holds hearing in Houston on deadly ICE shooting

Lawmakers were in Houston to hold a hearing on Friday in response to the deadly shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Magnolia Park.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is hearing eyewitness accounts and other testimony related to the deadly shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE agent.

The shooting happened on July 7 off Canal Street after the Department of Homeland Security said Araujo tried to run over the agent. Araujo's family disputes DHS's claims.

ICE later said he was not the target of their operation.

This is a developing story.