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Ruben Ray Martinez

Age : 23

Gender : Male

Race : Latino/a/e

Date : 03/15/2025

Location : Intersection of Marlin Street and Padre Boulevard

City : South Padre Island

County : Cameron

State : Texas

Agency : U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

Officer(s) :Unknown

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by federal immigration agent during traffic stop

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

Who he was
Ruben Ray Martinez was a 23-year-old U.S. citizen from San Antonio. He was on South Padre Island, Texas, when federal ICE agents and local law enforcement were assisting with traffic after a crash in the early morning hours of March 15, 2025.
What happened
Internal records and later reporting show that an ICE Homeland Security Investigations agent shot Martinez during the encounter. Federal authorities initially claimed Martinez struck an agent with his vehicle, prompting another agent to fire. Martinez was taken to a hospital and later died from his injuries. ICE’s involvement was not publicly disclosed until almost a year later following records released through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Why his name matters now
Martinez’s case became the subject of renewed attention and controversy when Joshua Orta, his friend and the only eyewitness who contradicted the federal account, died in a separate car crash in San Antonio just as he was about to sign a statement supporting Martinez’s family’s version of events. Orta’s testimony suggested Martinez was not a threat and was complying when he was shot. Martinez’ mother says video evidence may contradict the official federal account, and a Texas Rangers investigation remains active with the possibility of presenting the case to a grand jury. The key witness just died in a car crash before he could sign his witness statement.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://apnews.com/article/646df2f1212fa48d14a9b270f04c3f76
https://www.tpr.org/news/2026-02-20/congressman-joaquin-castro-asks-for-investigation-in-the-wake-of-a-bombshell-report-on-san-antonio-mans-shooting-by-f?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths%2C_detentions_and_deportations_of_American_citizens_in_the_second_Trump_administration