ICE says agent fired ‘defensive shot’ after a U.S. citizen ran over an officer, but their own evidence is telling a very different story

The official account of a fatal shooting involving an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer and a 23-year-old US citizen in Texas is falling apart. Newly released video footage, from ICE’s own investigation, appears to directly contradict the agency’s initial explanation of the incident. This is a significant development, especially since ICE had previously cleared its officer.

According to Newsweek, the shooting happened on March 15, 2025, in South Padre Island, a beach community in Texas. Video shows Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, in his car as law enforcement officers tried to stop him. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had stated that an ICE officer fired a “defensive shot” because Martinez had “accelerated forward” and “intentionally ran over” another agent.

However, the new video tells a different story. Attorneys for Martinez’s mother, Rachel Reyes, shared a statement saying the footage completely calls ICE’s account into question. They pointed out that the videos show Martinez’s car was barely moving when he was shot, and he was actually braking, not accelerating. They also stated that nobody was on the hood of his car or in front of it when he was shot.

The video evidence raises serious questions about ICE’s use of force in this case

“This batch of evidence shows no justification for Ruben’s killing,” the attorneys declared. They stated that Martinez was shot at point-blank range through his side window by an ICE agent who, they believe, was in no danger at all. 

They also confirmed they will continue to pursue full transparency until all the facts are available to the public. This case is one of several raising concerns about ICE’s conduct, as the agency has also faced scrutiny over allegedly using deception to deport a deaf child.

ICE’s own report noted the footage “appears to contradict claims by federal officials that Martinez was shot by an ICE agent because he ‘accelerated’ and ‘intentionally ran over’ another agent.” The report further detailed that the blue Ford Fusion Martinez was driving was either stationary or moving very slowly when he was fatally shot, and the brake lights were seemingly on when the gunshots were heard.

Despite this, ICE referred to a Texas grand jury’s decision last month, which declined to return criminal indictments. The agency stated they “stand by the grand jury’s unanimous decision that found no criminality,” adding that an independent body “cleared our officer.” ICE also stated that the investigation showed Martinez was holding a bottle of whiskey and “rolling toward” an officer. Alcohol and marijuana were detected in Martinez’s system.

Another person in the car, Joshua Orta, wrote in a declaration that Martinez did not hit an officer with his vehicle, and that a federal agent fired into the driver’s side window without any warning. Orta was killed in an unrelated car accident in February. The body camera footage was taken from behind the car, so it remains unclear whether any officers were actually hit by the vehicle.

Martinez’s mother, Rachel Reyes, had previously said she didn’t blame President Donald Trump for her son’s death, but believes something needs to change regarding “the pattern of violence or abuse and impunity.” 

This incident comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s immigration raids, following the fatal shootings of two other US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during confrontations weeks apart in Minnesota. Records also suggest that Good and Pretti were not ICE’s first fatal shootings, raising further questions about the agency’s use of force.