SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas – Three body-worn cameras and nearby security cameras show the moments leading up to the death of a San Antonio man, who was shot and killed by a federal immigration agent nearly a year ago.
Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, died at a Brownsville hospital in March 2025 after he was shot by Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Jack Stevens, according to newly-obtained records. A Cameron County grand jury ruled the shooting a justifiable homicide.
More than 100 documents — including camera footage, evidence photos, witness statements and reports — were released by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) on Friday afternoon, in response to public information requests by KSAT 12 and other media outlets.
Here’s what we learned from the documents released:
11:17 p.m. - Crash shuts down intersection, HSI assists with traffic
Surveillance video shows a car crash at the intersection of Padre Boulevard and Marlin Street on March 14, 2025. HSI special agents and Texas Game Wardens helped direct traffic following the incident.
11:41 p.m. - Martinez stopped by Texas game wardens, contradictory commands given
Martinez was seen driving towards the crash scene in a blue Ford Fusion on bodycam footage from a Texas Game Warden.
The warden stopped Martinez, who was seen briefly holding an open bottle of alcohol. KSAT already reported 25-year-old Joshua Orta was the passenger in the vehicle.
While the footage does not have audio of the interaction, a separate angle picked up audio of an official who told Martinez to pull over in a nearby parking space due to the open container.
Seconds later, someone was heard saying “keep going,” and the game warden moved his flashlight back and forth.
In a supplemental report by Texas Parks & Wildlife, the game warden said a South Padre Island Police Department (SPIPD) investigator told him to let the vehicle through to the next game warden ahead.
The game warden downstream of traffic was seen on his own bodycam footage asking officials where the sedan was going and then asked Martinez where he was going.
11:42 p.m. - Martinez drives into crash intersection, shot by HSI agent
Martinez paused for a moment at the second officer, the videos show, before he drove towards the crash site.
Multiple officers yelled for Martinez to stop, and the vehicle came to a stop. In one of the videos, someone was then heard saying, “Once he is stopped, pull him out.”
However, Martinez’s vehicle was then seen attempting to make a left turn. Stevens pulled on the driver’s side door handle while another HSI agent stood in front of the vehicle.
It is unclear what happened next, but a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told KSAT two weeks ago that the other agent was hit by Martinez’s car.
However, Orta said that the agent banged on the hood of the vehicle, according to attorneys representing Martinez’s family.
As Martinez’s vehicle began to move forward, Stevens fired three shots from his weapon. Someone was again heard yelling to stop the vehicle after the shots were fired.
KSAT is not publishing video from the incident after shots were fired to respect the privacy of Martinez’s family.
11:43 p.m. - Martinez pulled out of vehicle, given medical attention
After the vehicle came to a complete stop, Stevens was seen with his gun pointed at the vehicle.
The bodycam footage briefly panned away before returning with the driver’s side door open and Martinez’s leg exiting the vehicle.
Stevens then pulled Martinez out of the vehicle, the video shows. He was placed in handcuffs by another official.
Forty-five seconds later, an official was heard calling for medical assistance to attend to Martinez. Fifteen seconds after that, first responders were seen on the bodycam footage.
1:27 a.m. - Martinez pronounced dead at a Brownsville hospital
Records show Martinez was pronounced dead at 1:27 a.m. on the morning of March 15, after he was taken to a Brownsville-area hospital. He died from several gunshot wounds.
Toxicology reports showed alcohol and THC were in Martinez’s system at the time of his death. His blood alcohol content was 0.124, which is above the legal limit to operate a motor vehicle.
4:47 a.m. - Orta tells Texas Rangers what took place in early-morning interview
More than five hours after the shooting, Orta was interviewed by Texas Rangers investigators.
“Around cops...we tend to get jittery,” Orta said in the interview. “He just kind of had a reaction. I guess, kind of, pushed the gas, but I know he didn’t like to floor it. It was barely moving.”
Orta died in a high-speed car crash last month, KSAT previously reported, prior to a grand jury hearing for the shooting. It is unclear if the interview was provided to the grand jury.
“I saw the officer kind of get on the hood,” Orta said. “Like (Martinez) didn’t hit him, but like it kind of ... caught his feet.”
DPS sent Orta’s interview, along with videos and photos of the incident, to the Cameron County District Attorney’s Office.
In a statement to KSAT regarding the new footage, attorneys for Martinez’s family said that the evidence calls U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s account into question.
“These new videos confirm that Ruben’s car was barely moving when he was shot. That he was braking, not accelerating. That nobody was on the hood of his car. That nobody was in front of his car when he was shot. That he was shot at point-blank range through his side window by an ICE agent who was in no danger. This batch of evidence shows no justification for Ruben’s killing. Still, our pursuit of full transparency will continue until we have all the facts. We, and the public, have yet to see all of the evidence held by the government. As we continue our investigation, we encourage anyone who witnessed this tragic event to contact the law firms of Thompson Stam in Houston or Hayes Law in Austin.”
Attorneys Charles and Alex Stamm on behalf of Ruben Ray Martinez's family
KSAT has been following developments in the shooting death of Ruben Ray Martinez last March. Read more of our reporting below: