The District Attorney’s Office and Houston Police Department have announced an independent probe of federal immigration agents’ fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo last week, but neither immediately sent investigators to the scene – a break from past practice that experts said will hamper their attempts to review the incident.

Salgado’s killing by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during a traffic stop in Magnolia Park last Tuesday has roiled the city, with residents holding vigils and protests and demanding action from political leaders.

The Department of Homeland Security is investigating the incident, but District Attorney Sean Teare said he has begun an independent probe. Houston Mayor John Whitmire – after initially saying the city lacked the jurisdiction to get involved – also has directed Houston police to support Teare’s efforts and to offer resources to federal authorities.

READ MORE: Whitmire tells HPD to offer resources for federal ICE shooting probe

Yet Houston police spokesperson Ericka Ramirez confirmed HPD sent only traffic control officers to the scene, not investigators, after an ICE agent fatally shot Salgado just before 7 a.m. in the 6800 block of Canal Street a week ago.

Ramirez explained the decision by saying federal authorities had claimed jurisdiction over the scene.

But HPD homicide investigators historically responded immediately to all officer-involved shootings in the city, said Charles McClelland, who served as HPD chief from 2010 to 2016 and long worked in the department’s homicide division.

“It would not surprise me if somebody in the HPD chain said, ‘nope, this is a federal shooting. We’re not going to get involved in this political mess,’” said Jay Coons, a Sam Houston State University criminology professor. “But now that you’re saying, ‘We should probably do an investigation,’ you should’ve responded just like you would to any other shooting. And now you’re playing catch-up.”

READ MORE: Mayor Whitmire backs federal probe, says Houston won’t launch separate ICE shooting investigation

An investigator and prosecutor from the District Attorney’s office also typically respond immediately to any officer-involved shooting in Harris County, a Teare spokesperson said.

But they are always sent after a law enforcement agency calls to report the shooting, spokesperson Courtney Fischer said, and this is the first time anyone in the office can recall that no agency called.

Prosecutors went to the scene Wednesday morning, she said, when they realized no agency was going to call them. Teare said at a Monday press conference that ICE’s lack of transparency was “unacceptable.”

Shootings by federal agents are always complex for local police and prosecutors, because federal authorities can claim jurisdiction over the investigation, said Coons, who retired as a captain at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in 2018.

But it’s still important for local offices to dispatch their own investigators as quickly as possible to preserve the scene and gather evidence, he said. Doing so can often be the difference between making a prosecution and not being able to bring charges.

Some evidence, such as security cameras, deletes every 24 hours or so, he said, and other evidence is only collectable in the immediate aftermath of a shooting, such as shell casings.

A limited role

During an impassioned public comment session at City Hall on Tuesday, Whitmire reiterated his support for a transparent, independent investigation, and said audio of the 911 call, Houston Metro bus camera footage and other resources had been provided to the DA’s office.

He also said Teare and HPD Chief Noe Diaz were meeting with FBI officials Tuesday.

But a spokesperson for FBI Houston confirmed the office was only looking into ICE agents’ allegation that Salgado struck an agent with the van he was driving – a claim witnesses have disputed.

The DHS Office of the Inspector General is investigating the shooting itself, an ICE spokesperson said.

In a Tuesday statement, the FBI said federal prosecutors and the Texas Rangers also attended the meeting, but did not list DHS or ICE as attendees.

“During today’s meeting, FBI leadership welcomed questions and received valuable feedback from our local, state and federal leaders,” the statement said. “We will continue to provide relevant case updates to our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners.”

Salgado was shot during what federal officials called a “targeted enforcement” operation, but ICE later acknowledged he was not the person agents were seeking.

After another fatal shooting by ICE agents in Maine this week, reports stated federal officials instructed ICE agents to suspend most vehicle stops across the country.