Full Analysis Summary
Witness contradicts official account
A passenger who witnessed the fatal March shooting of Texas driver Ruben Ray Martinez by a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent provided a sworn, detailed account that directly contradicts the government’s narrative, lawyers say.
That witness, Joshua Orta, has died in a fiery San Antonio car crash, lawyers say.
The Associated Press reports Orta’s draft affidavit, based on September interviews, says Martinez’s car was 'crawling as they tried to turn around, did not hit anyone, and an agent fired into the driver’s side from about two feet away without warning.'
DHS has said Martinez 'intentionally ran over a HSI special agent,' prompting the other agent to fire in self-defense.
El-Balad similarly reports federal authorities said an agent was 'intentionally' run over but that Orta and other witnesses dispute that, saying Martinez’s car was moving slowly when an agent fired from only a few feet away without issuing commands.
Coverage Differences
Contradiction
Associated Press (Western Mainstream) reports the witness affidavit directly contradicts DHS’s account by saying Martinez’s car was ‘‘crawling’’ and did not hit anyone, and that an agent fired from about two feet without warning. El-Balad (Other) likewise reports the witnesses dispute DHS’s claim that an agent was intentionally run over. Both sources attribute the government narrative to DHS and attribute the conflicting account to witnesses and their lawyer; neither source asserts the witness account as proven fact but reports the contradiction.
Tone
Associated Press frames the discrepancy with specific affidavit details and notes DHS’s delayed disclosure that an agent fired; El-Balad emphasizes the broader pattern of federal shootings and public distrust, situating the incident in a wider critical context.
Joshua Orta’s death dispute
Joshua Orta’s role became central after he gave the sworn account to Martinez’s family and lawyers.
His sudden death in a fiery crash has intensified calls from the family and their attorney for further scrutiny.
Associated Press reports the Martinez family plans a wrongful-death suit and says Texas Rangers have obtained video that undercuts DHS’s account.
Their lawyer, Alex Stamm, tells El-Balad that witness testimony supports the view that the shooting was unjustified.
Both sources note Orta’s affidavit was drafted months earlier and that his death has become part of the dispute over the official narrative.
Coverage Differences
Unique Coverage
Associated Press highlights the Martinez family’s legal plans and references Texas Rangers obtaining video potentially undermining DHS, while El-Balad foregrounds quotes from the families’ lawyer Alex Stamm and frames Orta’s death as central to the dispute; AP emphasizes investigative facts like the Rangers’ involvement, El-Balad emphasizes advocacy and legal implications.
Narrative Framing
El-Balad frames Orta’s death and the families’ response within a broader critique of federal enforcement practices and potential for legal challenges, while AP concentrates on the specific investigative details and sequence (affidavit timing, delayed disclosure, Rangers’ video).
Conflicting federal accounts
DHS has publicly maintained its initial statement, with the agency telling the Associated Press it "stands by" the account that an agent was intentionally run over and another fired in self‑defense.
AP notes the agency did not disclose for 11 months that an agent had fired.
El-Balad repeats the federal narrative and the witness challenge, and emphasizes that the conflicting accounts come amid heightened scrutiny of federal law‑enforcement use of force.
Neither source claims the final legal finding, and both report ongoing investigations by Texas Rangers and the potential for litigation.
Coverage Differences
Missed Information
Associated Press includes the detail that DHS ‘‘did not publicly disclose for 11 months that an agent had fired,’’ which is presented as a significant timeline fact; El-Balad does not explicitly mention the 11‑month disclosure gap in its snippet but stresses broader patterns of federal shootings and distrust.
Tone
AP’s tone is investigative and emphasizes procedural details (affidavit timing, disclosure lapse, Rangers’ video), while El-Balad’s tone is more explicitly critical of federal enforcement trends and highlights the possibility of legal and policy ramifications.
Context of enforcement shootings
Both sources place the shooting within a wider context of federal immigration enforcement activity and recent deadly encounters.
Associated Press notes the HSI agents were part of a maritime border enforcement task force whose personnel have been reassigned to prioritize immigration enforcement, and calls this case one of several deadly federal shootings tied to stepped-up policies.
El-Balad says the incident is framed amid "heightened scrutiny" and mentions at least six deadly shootings by federal officers since policy changes, linking the local dispute to national and international concerns about how migrants and enforcement encounters are handled.
Coverage Differences
Narrative Framing
Associated Press frames the episode as part of an enforcement shift and lists it among multiple federal deadly shootings, giving a procedural and chronological framing; El-Balad frames the incident more directly as symptomatic of broader failures and possible human‑rights or policy crises, citing a specific tally of at least six deadly federal shootings since stepped‑up policies.
Investigation and dispute overview
Both the Associated Press and El-Balad report that the Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting and that the Martinez family is expected to pursue a wrongful‑death suit.
The coverage highlights how differing accounts — DHS’s claim of self‑defense and witnesses’ descriptions in Orta’s affidavit — have produced public distrust and calls for review of federal use‑of‑force protocols.
Both sources stop short of asserting a final determination, instead reporting on the dispute, the family's legal intentions, and the potential for the case to prompt broader federal reviews.
Coverage Differences
Emphasis
Both sources report the Rangers’ investigation and the family’s legal intentions, but El-Balad emphasizes the potential for policy reform and public distrust while AP emphasizes documentary details (affidavit, delayed disclosure, Rangers’ video) and situates the case among other federal shootings.