**Newly Released Videos Raise Questions Over DHS Account of Fatal South Padre Island Shooting**
Videos released by the Texas Department of Public Safety appear to challenge the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) version of events surrounding the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen, by a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent on March 15, 2025, in South Padre Island, Texas.
The incident was initially reported by local news outlets simply as an officer-involved shooting. However, DHS did not disclose the involvement of its agent until February 2026, when media outlets revealed that HSI agents had been part of the scene.
### DHS Statement on the Incident
In a statement to San Antonio’s ABC affiliate, DHS said that HSI agents were assisting South Padre Island Police officers with traffic control following an unrelated accident at the popular spring break destination. According to DHS, a driver “intentionally ran over” an agent, leaving the agent “on the hood of the vehicle.” The statement continued:
> “Upon witnessing this, another agent fired defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public.”
DHS also noted that one agent suffered a knee injury and was transported to the hospital after the shooting.
### Family’s Attorneys Dispute DHS Account
Attorneys representing Martinez’s mother, Charles M. Stam and Alex Stamm, have released a statement disputing the DHS narrative, citing the newly released video footage. They said:
> “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.”
The attorneys added:
> “This batch of evidence shows no justification for Ruben’s killing.”
ABC News has reached out to DHS for comment regarding the video footage.
### Body Camera Video Details
Footage from a South Padre police officer’s body-worn camera appears to show Martinez’s blue Ford slowly approaching an intersection. As pedestrians cross the street, Martinez’s vehicle moves at a crawl or comes to a stop. During this time, an officer can be heard saying, “Keep going.” Once the pedestrians pass, Martinez moves forward, causing officers to react with concern, yelling, “Stop him” and “Get him out.”
Shortly after, three shots ring out as the camera-wielding officer runs toward the vehicle. Notably, Martinez’s brake lights appear to be on at the time he is shot.
The video does not show the perspective of the agent who fired the shots and therefore does not reveal whether there was any physical contact between agents and the vehicle.
Shortly after the shooting, agents pull Martinez and his passenger, Joshua Orta, from the car. Paramedics begin rendering aid over a minute later.
A toxicology report reveals Martinez had a blood alcohol level of 0.12%, which is above the legal limit of 0.08%.
### The Agent’s Perspective
The agent who shot Martinez, identified in official documents as Jack Stevens, provided his account of the incident. Stevens said he approached the vehicle after hearing an officer yell, “get him out.” Upon nearing the vehicle, Stevens claimed to smell marijuana coming from the driver’s side window.
He described Martinez’s behavior as follows:
> “The driver’s eyes were open widely, fist clenched to the steering wheel, and he was looking past the officers on scene as he failed to comply with the loud and repeated verbal commands of multiple law enforcement officers. This is a behavior I have observed in my training and experience as a pre-attack indicator and sign of noncompliance.”
Stevens stated that he was struck and knocked backward by the driver’s side front pillar and side mirror. Attempting to backpedal to avoid being run over, Stevens said he was still in contact with the vehicle as it struck another agent.
Recalling recent incidents where vehicles had been used as weapons—such as a New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans earlier that year—Stevens said these events were “fresh on my mind.”
He continued:
> “Upon observing the vehicle strike SA [Hector] Sosa, causing him to fall onto the hood of the vehicle and driving through the scene, with SA Sosa clinging to the vehicle’s hood, I discharged my service-issued handgun firing through the open driver’s side window striking the driver multiple times. This action stopped the threat and gained compliance from the driver who stopped the vehicle and placed it into park.”
### Legal Outcome and Passenger’s Account
A grand jury ultimately decided not to issue an indictment in the case, according to South Texas ABC affiliate KRGV.
In an interview recording released to the public, Martinez’s passenger, Joshua Orta, told investigators that upon arriving at the scene, an officer noticed a container of alcohol in the vehicle but instructed them to keep moving and turn left. Martinez, however, continued straight toward officers.
Orta described what happened next:
> “That’s when he, you know, panicked and turned the wheel, and he didn’t floor the gas but he kind of went a little bit, and I guess they thought he was like trying to run the cop over or something.”
Orta stated he saw an officer get on the hood but clarified:
> “Like he didn’t hit him, but like he caught his feet.”
He insisted that Martinez had no intention of running over the agents:
> “He didn’t know what to do… he definitely didn’t want to go to jail. But as far as, like, running over an officer… he wouldn’t do that.”
Tragically, Joshua Orta died in a car crash in February 2026, KRGV reported.
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The video footage and conflicting accounts continue to fuel public debate and calls for greater transparency regarding the events leading to the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez.
https://abcnews.com/US/video-footage-casts-doubt-dhs-claims-fatal-2025/story?id=130865168