Newly released body camera videos cast doubt on the Department of Homeland Security’s assertion that a U.S. citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, intentionally rammed a federal agent with his car before being fatally shot. The footage, which captured the incident from behind Martinez’s vehicle, does not clearly show the car striking an agent. Martinez’s passenger told investigators that Martinez had panicked due to fear of arrest and had not intended to harm officers, stating the car was moving slowly when shots were fired. The U.S. citizen’s mother’s attorneys claim the evidence shows no justification for the killing.
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Newly obtained body camera footage from the March 2025 fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez appears to contradict federal claims that he was killed for accelerating towards and intentionally running over an agent. The video shows Martinez’s vehicle stationary or moving at a very low speed, with brake lights illuminated, when he was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Despite ICE’s assertion that Martinez posed a deadly threat, the footage and witness accounts suggest his vehicle was not in motion aggressively and that he did not strike any officers. The incident, which resulted in Martinez being pulled from his car and handcuffed without immediate medical attention, is under scrutiny as a grand jury declined to return criminal indictments.
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New evidence obtained by Newsweek, including body-worn camera footage and witness statements, offers a new perspective on the fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez by an ICE agent in Texas. The footage shows Martinez’s car moving slowly and purportedly braking before an agent fired multiple shots through the driver’s side window, striking him. Statements from Martinez’s passenger, who later died in a car crash, suggest Martinez was scared and did not intend to harm officers, contradicting the federal agent’s account of being accelerating toward them. Attorneys for Martinez’s mother state the new evidence calls into question ICE’s narrative and shows no justification for the killing.
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Following a major accident, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent fired “defensive shots” after a driver allegedly “intentionally ran over” another federal agent. The driver, identified as Ruben Ray Martinez, was killed, while the injured agent sustained a knee injury. The incident, which occurred in South Padre Island, Texas, is currently under investigation by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The family of Ruben Ray Martinez is seeking transparency and accountability surrounding the events of that day, questioning HSI’s presence and the fatal shooting.
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Newly released records reveal a U.S. citizen, Ruben Ray Martinez, was killed by a federal immigration agent in Texas during a late-night traffic stop that was not publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security. The incident occurred after the driver intentionally struck an agent, leading another agent to fire in defense, according to DHS. This shooting marks the earliest of at least six fatal shootings by federal officers during the current immigration crackdown. While local media reported the death, federal authorities did not initially disclose that a Homeland Security Investigations team was involved.
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Ruben Ray Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was shot and killed by an ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officer in South Padre Island, Texas, on March 15, 2025, during a traffic incident. Initial reports did not disclose federal involvement or that an HSI agent fired the fatal shots through the driver’s side window after the vehicle allegedly struck an agent. Internal ICE records, obtained through a FOIA request, detail that the vehicle accelerated forward, striking an agent who ended up on the hood, prompting the supervisory special agent to discharge his weapon. The incident is currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers and other state agencies.
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John Q. Hosedrinker
Bodycam Footage Contradicts ICE Claims in Fatal Shooting of U.S. Citizen Ruben Ray Martinez
Newly obtained body camera footage from the March 2025 fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez appears to contradict federal claims that he was killed for accelerating towards and intentionally running over an agent. The video shows Martinez’s vehicle stationary or moving at a very low speed, with brake lights illuminated, when he was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent. Despite ICE’s assertion that Martinez posed a deadly threat, the footage and witness accounts suggest his vehicle was not in motion aggressively and that he did not strike any officers. The incident, which resulted in Martinez being pulled from his car and handcuffed without immediate medical attention, is under scrutiny as a grand jury declined to return criminal indictments.
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