New Texas Law Enforcement Footage Raises Questions About DHS Shooting Narrative
Newly released body camera footage showing the fatal shooting of a man by a federal immigration agent in Texas last year directly contradicts assertions by the Department of Homeland Security that the driver intentionally rammed an agent with his vehicle immediately before being killed. The videos, obtained through public records requests, offer the first visual account of the shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old American citizen, during a beach trip to South Padre Island.
Contradictory Evidence Emerges
The Texas Rangers closed their investigation into the 15 March 2025 shooting after a grand jury declined last week to file any criminal charges against Homeland Security Investigations Supervisory Special Agent Jack Stevens, who fired the fatal shots. However, the newly released footage, including from officer body cameras, does not clearly show Martinez's vehicle striking an agent as claimed by DHS officials.
In a written statement included in investigative files, Stevens said he fired to protect his fellow agents, police officers and the public from what he feared was a potential terrorist attack intended to cause mass casualties. A DHS spokesperson previously stated the HSI agent fired defensive shots after the driver "intentionally ran over" his fellow agent, "resulting in him being on the hood of the vehicle."
Eyewitness Account Challenges Official Version
Another video shows Joshua Orta, who was riding in the car with Martinez, telling investigators that his friend had not intended to harm federal officers but had "panicked" because he feared getting arrested for driving while intoxicated. "He didn't know what to do. Like he definitely didn't want to go to jail," Orta said. "But as far as like running over an officer ... he wouldn't do that."
Martinez's death was the earliest of at least six fatal shootings by federal agents since President Donald Trump launched a nationwide immigration crackdown in his second term, and is among several cases in which video has called into question the administration's initial narratives.
Detailed Timeline of Events
Martinez was just days past his 23rd birthday when he and Orta drove from their hometown of San Antonio down to South Padre Island, a popular spring break destination. They had been drinking with friends and smoking marijuana before heading back out on the town, according to Orta's statements to investigators.
In body camera footage captured by two of the island's police officers, Martinez's blue Ford sedan can be seen slowly approaching an intersection where South Padre police officers were directing traffic around a two-car collision. Also at the scene were three HSI agents from a maritime border security task force redirected to conduct immigration enforcement.
The footage shows Martinez's car slowing to a crawl - nearly a full stop - for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Once the pedestrians are out of the way, the car slowly pulls into the intersection before stopping again as the HSI agents approach, shouting instructions for the driver to stop.
The Fatal Encounter
One of the HSI agents, identified in documents as Special Agent Hector Sosa, moves in front of the car while Stevens positions himself on the driver's side and reaches toward the door. "Get him out, get him out," one of the officers can be heard shouting.
Martinez's car begins slowly moving forward and turning to the left, where other vehicles were traveling. Stevens, on the driver's side of the car, is keeping pace and appears to be leaning in toward the open driver's side window. As officers yell for Martinez to stop, Stevens pulls his weapon and rapidly fires three shots through the window before quickly backing away.
"Shots fired, shots fired," one of the police officers wearing a camera yells into his radio. The entire incident transpires in about 15 seconds.
Aftermath and Investigation
The blue Ford quickly comes to a full stop and Martinez is pulled from the vehicle and handcuffed by multiple officers. Orta is also pulled from the passenger seat and handcuffed. Martinez remains in cuffs and on the ground, unmoving, for about a minute before paramedics already on the scene of the earlier traffic accident begin to provide medical aid.
An autopsy report shows all three shots fired by Stevens hit Martinez, with bullets traveling through his left arm before entering his torso and piercing his heart, lungs, liver and other organs. The autopsy also revealed Martinez's blood alcohol level was 0.12%, well above the legal limit to drive in Texas of 0.08%.
Agent's Statement and Context
In a three-page written statement provided to the Texas Rangers almost two months after the shooting, Stevens said he fired his weapon as Martinez "accelerated forward, striking Special Agent Sosa who wound up on the hood of the vehicle." He also claimed he narrowly avoided being run over, being struck by the driver's side and "causing the mirror to break off of the vehicle." A photo from the scene showed the mirror damaged, but still on the car.
As he fired, the agent said that "still fresh on his mind" were recent domestic and international events, including a man who had driven a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year's revelers in New Orleans weeks earlier. "The driver's eyes were open widely, fist clenched to the steering wheel, and he was looking past the officers on scene as he failed to comply with the loud and repeated verbal commands of multiple law enforcement officers," Stevens wrote.
Discrepancies in Injury Claims
As reported previously, an internal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation said the agent struck by the car was treated for an unspecified knee injury at a nearby hospital and released. However, the newly released videos show the agent after the shooting arresting Orta and walking without any visible injury or limp.
Legal Response and Ongoing Questions
Lawyers representing Martinez's mother, Rachel Reyes, said in a statement the newly released videos and other evidence showed his car was barely moving when Stevens fired at point-blank range. "This batch of evidence shows no justification for Ruben's killing," lawyers Charles M. Stam and Alex Stamm said. "Still, our pursuit of full transparency will continue until we have all the facts. We, and the public, have yet to see all of the evidence held by the government."
Spokespersons for DHS did not respond to requests for comment about the videos. While local media reported at the time the shooting involved a police officer, DHS did not publicly disclose its agents were involved until after media outlets reported it last month.
Orta, who provided crucial eyewitness testimony about the events leading to his friend's death, died February 21 in a car accident in San Antonio, adding another tragic dimension to this already complex case that continues to raise serious questions about immigration enforcement practices and accountability.
