Bodycam video contradicts ICE claims in fatal shooting of U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez in Texas

CBS News obtained body-camera video of the March 15, 2025, fatal shooting of American citizen Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, in South Padre Island, Texas.

“Video of the March 2025 fatal shooting of American citizen Ruben Ray Martinez obtained by CBS News appears to contradict claims by federal officials that Martinez was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent because he "accelerated" and "intentionally ran over" another agent with his car”

CBS News

The video appears to contradict claims by federal officials that Martinez "accelerated" and "intentionally ran over" another agent.

CBS News

ICE's internal report said Martinez "accelerated forward" and struck an agent.

The Department of Homeland Security said an ICE agent fired "defensive shots" after Martinez "intentionally ran over" another agent.

The article includes an incomplete sentence about DHS' official version that is unclear in the source and therefore cannot be fully reported here.

Body-camera footage from a South Padre Island police officer shows Martinez's blue Ford Fusion stationary or moving at a very low rate of speed when three gunshots ring out; the brake lights appear to be on when the shots are heard.

The video shows the rear of Martinez's car when the shots were fired, so activity near the driver was not visible at that moment.

CBS News

After he is shot three times, Martinez is pulled from the vehicle and thrown to the ground by an ICE agent.

He is placed face down and handcuffed, and personnel on scene do not appear to provide medical care until after he is handcuffed.

Emergency responders render care and check Martinez's body for exit wounds about two minutes after the shots.

The Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the shooting, and a grand jury last month declined to return criminal indictments in the case.

Witness and family statements in the article further challenge the official account.

“Video of the March 2025 fatal shooting of American citizen Ruben Ray Martinez obtained by CBS News appears to contradict claims by federal officials that Martinez was shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent because he "accelerated" and "intentionally ran over" another agent with his car”

CBS News

Joshua Orta, Martinez's best friend and a passenger, said in a draft declaration that his friend "did not hit anyone" and was trying to comply with commands.

Orta told Texas Rangers he thought Martinez got "jittery" and "panicked," "kind of pushed the gas," but that the car was "barely moving," and he did not think Martinez hit the officer.

Orta died in a separate car crash last month before he could sign that declaration.

Martinez's toxicology screen detected alcohol and marijuana.

Lawyers Charles M. Stam and Alex Stamm representing Rachel Reyes said the footage "confirms that Ruben's car was barely moving," that he was braking, that "nobody was on the hood of his car," and that he was "shot at point‑blank range through his side window by an ICE agent who was in no danger."

Reyes told CBS News she has struggled to find "closure" because she had not received videos or reports nearly a year after the killing, called for transparency and reform of how immigration agents conduct their duties, and said, "I don't blame President Trump for the death of my son, 'cause he wasn't the one who pulled the trigger," noting she voted for Mr. Trump in 2024.

CBS News reached out to DHS seeking comment.