Dave Matthews Condemns ICE After Fatal Shooting in Houston: ‘Don’t Pull the Trigger’

Dave Matthews is speaking out against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A recent X clip of the Dave Matthews Band lead singer, 59, performing at what appeared to be his Camden, New Jersey, concert over the weekend is going viral. In it, he condemns the actions of ICE amid President Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown.

“I don’t know why we let people make excuses for why we should kill each other, you know?” the singer said on stage to a responsive crowd. “There’s always reasons that we should kill each other.”

Matthews noted that children are growing up to see that some have simply “lost [their] way.” However, he pondered, “Maybe we’ve always been like this, we just got better at making things that can kill each other.”

The singer then zeroed in on the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old man who was shot and killed by an immigration officer in Houston on July 7.

According to the Associated Press, Salgado Araujo was a Mexican national living in the U.S. and allegedly close to obtaining legal status. There are few photos or videos from the moment he was shot; however, the Department of Homeland Security claimed ICE was acting in self-defense. Salgado Araujo was not who ICE was initially targeting, a source familiar with the incident told CNN.

“I wanted to say his name,” Matthews said during the concert. “I wrote it down so I didn’t forget it, this young man who was — well, old man, but we’re all young — this father and grandfather who was murdered by ICE in Houston, Texas.”

“And then they say he’s not even the guy they were looking for,” Matthews continued. “Well, then don’t pull the trigger.”

After using an explicit word to refer to ICE officers, Matthews said, “I’m sorry if that language offends his family or his friends or his community, but it’s just making me mad. Anyway, I want to send this to the memory of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was killed a few days ago in Houston by ICE.”

According to the New York Times, more than 20 people have been shot at by immigration agents since September, and several have been killed.

The DHS immigration crackdown has sparked widespread political unrest, particularly following the fatal shootings of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of law enforcement.