New Texas Law Enforcement Footage Raises More Questions About Dhs Story On Shooting Of American Citizen

Newly released footage showing nan fatal shooting of a man by a national migration supplier successful Texas past twelvemonth calls into mobility assertions by nan Department of Homeland Security that a driver intentionally rammed an supplier pinch his car instantly earlier he was killed.

The videos, including from serviceman assemblage cameras, offer nan first ocular relationship of nan shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, during a formation travel past year. Hours of footage and different rule enforcement records were released Friday pursuing a nationalist records petition from The Associated Press and different news outlets.

Martinez’s decease was nan earliest of at slightest six fatal shootings by national agents since President Donald Trump launched a nationwide migration crackdown successful his 2nd term, and is among respective cases successful which video has called into mobility nan administration’s first narratives.

The Texas Rangers closed their investigation into nan 15 March 2025, shooting aft a expansive assemblage declined past week to record immoderate criminal charges against Homeland Security Investigations Supervisory Special Agent Jack Stevens, who fired nan fatal shots, according to records released by nan Texas Department of Public Safety.

In a written connection included successful nan files, Stevens said he fired to protect his chap agents, constabulary officers and nan nationalist from what he feared was a imaginable violent onslaught intended to origin wide casualties.

A DHS spokesperson said past period nan HSI supplier fired protect shots aft nan driver “intentionally ran over” his chap agent, “resulting successful him being connected nan hood of nan vehicle.”

The recently released assemblage camera videos, taken from down Martinez’s car, do not intelligibly show nan conveyance striking an agent.

Another video shows Joshua Orta, who was riding successful nan car pinch Martinez, telling investigators that his friend had not intended to harm national officers but had “panicked” because he feared getting arrested for driving while intoxicated.

“He didn’t cognize what to do. Like he decidedly didn’t want to spell to jail,” Orta said. “But arsenic acold arsenic for illustration moving complete an serviceman ... he wouldn’t do that.”

Spokespersons for DHS did not respond to requests for remark astir nan videos.

‘Shots fired, shots fired’

While section media reported astatine nan clip nan shooting progressive a constabulary officer, DHS did not publically disclose its agents were progressive until aft nan AP and different media outlets reported it past month.

Martinez was conscionable days past his 23rd day erstwhile he and Orta drove from their hometown of San Antonio down to South Padre Island, a celebrated outpouring break statement destination. They drank pinch friends and smoked marijuana earlier heading backmost retired connected nan town, Orta told investigators.

Martinez was driving his bluish Ford sedan when, soon aft midnight, they came upon nan segment wherever South Padre constabulary officers were directing postulation astir a two-car collision astatine a engaged intersection.

Also astatine nan segment were 3 HSI agents from a maritime separator information task unit redirected to behaviour migration enforcement, according to documents.

In assemblage camera footage captured by 2 of nan island's constabulary officers, Martinez’s car tin beryllium seen slow approaching nan intersection, appearing to spell consecutive arsenic vehicles were being instructed to move left. Martinez's car slows to a crawl — astir a afloat extremity — for pedestrians successful nan crosswalk. Once nan pedestrians are retired of nan way, nan car slow pulls into nan intersection earlier stopping again arsenic nan HSI agents approach, shouting instructions for nan driver to stop.

One of nan HSI agents, identified successful documents arsenic Special Agent Hector Sosa, moves successful beforehand of nan car. Stevens is connected nan driver’s broadside and reaches toward nan door.

“Get him out, get him out,” 1 of nan officers tin beryllium heard shouting.

Martinez's car originates slow moving guardant and turning to nan left, wherever different vehicles were traveling. Stevens, connected nan driver’s broadside of nan car, is keeping gait and appears to beryllium leaning successful toward nan unfastened driver’s broadside window. As officers outcry for Martinez to stop, Stevens pulls his limb and quickly fires 3 shots done nan model earlier quickly backing away.

“Shots fired, shots fired,” 1 of nan constabulary officers wearing a camera yells into his radio.

The full incident transpires successful astir 15 seconds.

Agents propulsion nan driver from nan car

The bluish Ford quickly comes to a afloat extremity and Martinez is pulled from nan conveyance and handcuffed by aggregate officers. Orta is besides pulled from nan rider spot and handcuffed.

Martinez remains successful cuffs and connected nan ground, unmoving, for astir a infinitesimal earlier paramedics already connected nan segment of nan earlier postulation mishap statesman to supply aesculapian aid.

An autopsy study shows each 3 shots fired by Stevens deed Martinez, pinch bullets walking done his near limb earlier entering his torso and piercing his heart, lungs, liver and different organs. The autopsy study besides showed that Martinez's humor intoxicant level was 0.12%, good supra nan ineligible limit to thrust successful Texas of 0.08%.

In a three-page written connection provided to nan Texas Rangers almost 2 months aft nan shooting, Stevens said he fired his limb arsenic Martinez “accelerated forward, striking Special Agent Sosa who coiled up connected nan hood of nan vehicle." He besides said he narrowly avoided being tally over, being struck by nan driver's broadside and “causing nan reflector to break disconnected of nan vehicle.” A photograph from nan segment showed nan reflector damaged, but still connected nan car.

As he fired, nan supplier said that “still caller connected his mind” were caller home and world events, including a man who had driven a pickup motortruck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers successful New Orleans weeks earlier.

“The driver’s eyes were unfastened widely, fist clenched to nan steering wheel, and he was looking past nan officers connected segment arsenic he grounded to comply pinch nan large and repeated verbal commands of aggregate rule enforcement officers,” Stevens wrote. “This is simply a behaviour I person observed successful my training and acquisition arsenic a pre onslaught parameter and motion of noncompliance arsenic nan fishy is looking successful nan way of their intended activity and is not suggestive of compliance. This way of movement, if near unmitigated, would, utilizing nan conveyance arsenic a weapon, person resulted successful galore casualties."

As reported by AP past month, an soul U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation said nan supplier struck by nan car was treated for an unspecified knee wounded astatine a adjacent infirmary and released. The recently released videos show nan supplier aft nan shooting arresting Orta and stepping without immoderate visible wounded aliases limp.

‘That's erstwhile he panicked and turned nan wheel'

Orta said Martinez had been drinking earlier that nighttime — respective shots and a brew — and smoked marijuana erstwhile he approached nan postulation checkpoint wherever a conveyance mishap had occurred earlier.

One serviceman spotted an unfastened alcoholic beverage adjacent Martinez but directed nan car to support moving and move to nan left. Instead, Martinez continued straight, toward nan mishap and much officers.

“That’s erstwhile he panicked and turned nan wheel, and he didn’t level nan state but we benignant of went a small spot and I conjecture they thought he was for illustration trying to tally nan bull complete aliases something," Orta said.

Orta said that their car came to a “full stop” astatine first. Then Martinez turned to nan near pinch nan car “barely moving.”

“I saw nan serviceman benignant of get connected nan hood. Like he didn’t deed him, but for illustration he benignant of like, you cognize what I mean, caught his feet,” Orta said. “It was conscionable slow moving and they started shooting.”

Orta died Feb. 21 successful a car mishap successful San Antonio.

Lawyers representing Martinez's mother, Rachel Reyes, said successful a connection nan recently released videos and different grounds showed his car was hardly moving erstwhile Stevens fired astatine point-blank range.

“This batch of grounds shows nary justification for Ruben’s killing," lawyers Charles M. Stam and Alex Stamm said. “Still, our pursuit of afloat transparency will proceed until we person each nan facts. We, and nan public, person yet to spot each of nan grounds held by nan government.”