A federal immigration agent shot and killed a US citizen in Texas in March 2025, months before the Trump administration began its deportation surge in Minnesota that led to the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, according to records released this week.
Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was killed by agents with the Department of Homeland Security, attorneys for Martinez’s family said in a statement.
A DHS agent fired multiple rounds at Martinez, who allegedly hit another DHS agent with his car as the agents assisted local police in South Padre Island, Texas, with traffic control following an accident on March 15, 2025, according to records obtained by American Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog group.
The agents were conducting immigration enforcement, the records show.
Martinez’s shooting appears to be the first known instance of a US citizen being killed during US President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration.
Federal agents conducting immigration enforcement shot at least five people in January alone, including Pretti and Good.
Family lawyers call for investigation
Martinez was trying to comply with instructions from local law enforcement when he was shot, Charles Stam and Alex Stamm, attorneys for Martinez’s family, said in a statement. They called for a “full and fair investigation.” --->READ MORE HERE
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| SBG San Antonio |
New details have emerged in the unusual case of a San Antonio man shot and killed by federal officers nearly a year ago during Spring Break on South Padre Island.
A grand jury has declined to indict the federal agent who fired the shots, and currently it does not appear that the agent will face any charges. The Cameron County District Attorney’s Office presented the case in the death of Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, but no indictment was handed down.
City leaders have taken notice. Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has called for a congressional investigation, highlighting both the delay in public disclosure and the unusual circumstances of federal agents conducting traffic control at an accident scene. Representative Ray Lopez has also urged an independent review of the case.
Martinez was shot shortly after midnight on March 15, 2025, during a traffic stop. At the time, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers were assisting South Padre Island Police with traffic following a wreck at a busy intersection. According to DHS, Martinez “intentionally ran over” an HSI agent, prompting another agent to fire “defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public.”
However, Martinez’s only passenger, Joshua Orta, disputed those claims. In a written statement provided to attorneys last September, Orta said Martinez’s car was “just crawling” and that a federal agent fired into the driver’s side window without giving any warning, commands, or opportunity to comply. “Ruben never hit the gas,” Orta said, contradicting official reports that claimed Martinez struck an officer. --->READ MORE HERE
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