HOUSTON — A diverse crowd gathered Wednesday evening with a sense of anger mixed with grief for a vigil honoring Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by an ICE agent, where they demanded justice and that the agency leave the city.

Hundreds of people flooded the residential street where the 52-year-old was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent a day before during an unspecified “targeted enforcement operation” in the predominantly Latino neighborhood in the city’s east side. The crowd rallied around speakers, which included several U.S. representatives from the Houston area as well as residents and advocates, gripping signs that called for ICE to leave the state, some with Salgado Araujo’s face.

A candlelight vigil was also held at a newly crafted mural not far from where Salgado Araujo was shot on Canal Street. People left candles, stuffed animals, notes and more as they paid their respects to Salgado Araujo, whose family said had lived in Houston for 35 years. The peaceful gathering drew a heavy police presence that took up most of the parking on the block.

Daniel Rodriguez, a 20-year-old attendee, said he was proud of the diverse group of people who were at the vigil to express solidarity with those most at risk of being targeted by ICE. He said he worries about his own family and the families of others in the city in the wake of Salgado Araujo’s killing.

“It’s just sad, it’s just tragic, because that man had a beautiful family, and there’s other stories that aren’t told,” Rodriguez said.

ICE claims that Salgado Araujo, who had no criminal history, attempted to ram his van into an ICE vehicle and run over an agent before the federal officer fired his weapon in self-defense. But the man’s family and speakers at the vigil have said that description of events was unlikely, both because of Salgado Araujo’s nature and because they did not trust the agency’s recounting.

One of Salgado Araujo’s sons, Ronaldo Salgado, said during a press conference Wednesday morning that his father likely panicked after unmarked cars followed him, concerned someone was trying to steal his van and work tools inside.

It’s not uncommon for ICE agents to use unmarked cars and wear masks as they attempt arrests, and advocacy groups say the tactic means people often aren’t aware that it’s federal agents detaining them.

U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Houston, cast his own doubts on ICE’s recounting at the vigil, and pointed to other instances earlier this year in Minnesota, where initial claims about ICE agents being attacked were later contradicted by videos of the incidents.

“ICE came to Houston and killed one of our own,” Menefee said. “This is not the first time this has happened … and every single time they come and they tell us their version of events, but we don’t see any evidence.”

A statement from Salgado Araujo’s family that was read during the vigil asked for three things: a full independent investigation into their loved one’s killing; reform for “ambush-style” ICE tactics; and that the neighborhood take care of Maria, his widow and their mother.

Residents of the neighborhood were still in disbelief that ICE had killed Salgado Araujo there and that they had done so after emerging from unmarked vehicles.

Geneva Rajpute, who lives on the street where the shooting occurred, said she and neighbors “shouldn’t be afraid to go down the street” but that the shooting has left them shocked.

“I never thought something like this would happen this close to my home,” Rajpute said. “We are the melting pot. It’s Houston.”

Calls for an independent investigation into the shooting have grown significantly in the hours since Salgado Araujo’s death, including from multiple members of Congress and the state Legislature. The FBI is currently handling an investigation into the shooting. Houston’s police department, which was not present when Salgado Araujo was shot, is not currently investigating, nor is the Department of Public Safety, which regularly investigates police shootings in the state.

After remarks in both English and Spanish and a vigil near the site of the shooting, attendees marched briefly down the street before stopping to hear from advocates and community leaders at the end of the two-hour vigil and watch dancers perform.

Bianca Santorini, an immigration attorney and Democratic candidate for Brazoria County district attorney, said in a speech that people who put down immigrants for not doing things “the right way” have no understanding of how immigration in the U.S. operates and the difficulties families face.

“You don’t know how long it takes, you don’t know that the immigration system is treated like a pendulum every four years depending on who is in the White House,” Santorini said.

Lomi Kriel contributed to this story.

This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune.