Videos show US citizen’s shooting death in Texas last year by federal immigration agent

4 articles

3 sources

0% diversity

Updated 7.3.2026

Key Topics & People

Ruben Ray Martinez *South Padre Island Homeland Security Investigations Texas Department of Homeland Security

Coverage Framing

Legal & Judicial(3)

Human Rights(1)

Avg Factuality:80%

Avg Sensationalism:Moderate

Story Timeline

Mar 1 – Mar 7

1 articles|1 sources

shooting deathus citizenfederal immigration agenttexasvideo

Legal & Judicial(1)

Associated Press (AP)Mar 7

Videos show US citizen’s shooting death in Texas last year by federal immigration agent

Videos have been released showing the March 15, 2025, shooting death of Ruben Ray Martinez, a U.S. citizen, by a federal immigration agent in South Padre Island, Texas. The incident occurred at a roadblock where Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Jack Stevens shot Martinez. The videos, provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety, depict Stevens pointing his weapon at Martinez in his vehicle, then pulling him out after the shooting. Law enforcement officials are shown surrounding Martinez after the incident. The reason for the roadblock and the circumstances leading to the shooting are not detailed in the provided information.

MeasuredFactual1 source

Negative

Key Claims

factual

Videos show US citizen’s shooting death in Texas last year by federal immigration agent.

— Article Title

factual

Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was shot during a beach trip last year.

— Article

factual

The videos offer the first visual account of the shooting.

— Article

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DHS claimed a driver intentionally rammed an agent with his car immediately before he was killed.

— Department of Homeland Security

factual

Videos call into question assertions by the Department of Homeland Security.

— Article

Feb 22 – Feb 28

2 articles|2 sources

fatal shootinggrand juryindictment rejecteddhs agentus citizen killed

Legal & Judicial(1)

The Guardian - World NewsFeb 26

Grand jury rejects indictment over federal officer’s shooting of US citizen

A grand jury declined to indict a Homeland Security Investigations agent for the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez in Cameron County, Texas, on March 15, 2025. The shooting occurred during a traffic encounter, but was not publicly disclosed by DHS until recently. DHS alleges Martinez intentionally ran over an agent, prompting another agent to fire defensive shots. However, a passenger in the car with Martinez, Joshua Orta, disputed this account in a draft affidavit, stating the car was moving slowly and the agent fired without warning. Orta, a key witness, died in a car crash last weekend. The district attorney's office did not provide further details on the grand jury's decision.

MeasuredFactual3 sources

Neutral

Human Rights(1)

Al JazeeraFeb 22

DHS agent killed US citizen in March last year, records reveal

In March 2025, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agent shot and killed Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, in South Padre Island, Texas. The incident occurred while DHS agents were assisting local police with traffic control after an accident and conducting immigration enforcement. According to records obtained by American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog group, Martinez allegedly hit a DHS agent with his car, prompting the shooting. Martinez was taken to a hospital in Brownsville, Texas, where he died. The agent who was hit by the car was treated for a knee injury. The released records are part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit and reveal that Martinez had no prior criminal record.

Mixed toneFactual3 sources

Negative

Key Claims

factual

A grand jury rejected indictments over the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez by a federal immigration agent.

— prosecutors

factual

The shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez occurred on 15 March 2025.

— Article

factual

DHS has alleged that Martinez intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigation special agent.

— Department of Homeland Security

factual

Joshua Orta, a passenger in the car with Martinez, disputed DHS’ account in a draft affidavit.

— Attorneys for Martinez’s family

factual

A federal immigration agent shot dead Ruben Ray Martinez, a US citizen, in March 2025.

— Article

Feb 15 – Feb 21

1 articles|1 sources

fatal shootingimmigration enforcementhomeland security investigationsofficer-involved shootingus citizen

Legal & Judicial(1)

The Guardian - World NewsFeb 21

US citizen shot and killed by federal immigration agent last year, new records show

Newly released records reveal that a U.S. citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, was fatally shot by a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent in South Padre Island, Texas, in March 2025 during an immigration enforcement operation. The incident, which was not publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) until recently, occurred during a late-night traffic encounter. According to DHS, the shooting happened after Martinez allegedly intentionally struck an agent with his vehicle, prompting another agent to fire defensive shots. The records, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit by American Oversight, indicate HSI was assisting local police with traffic control following an accident when the incident occurred. The DHS has not explained why the shooting was not publicly announced for 11 months.

Mixed toneFactual2 sources

Negative

Key Claims

factual

A US citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent in Texas last year.

— Article

factual

The shooting occurred during a late-night traffic encounter on South Padre Island.

— Article

quote

DHS said the shooting occurred after the driver intentionally struck an agent.

— DHS

factual

The shooting involved a Homeland Security Investigations team conducting an immigration enforcement operation.

— Article, citing documents obtained by American Oversight

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Martinez's mother said he was celebrating his birthday weekend at South Padre Island.

— Rachel Reyes