Bodycam video contradicts ICE claims in fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez

3 hours ago 5

Video of the March 2025 fatal shooting of American national Ruben Ray Martinez obtained by CBS News appears to contradict claims by national officials that Martinez was changeable by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement cause due to the fact that helium "accelerated" and "intentionally ran over" different cause with his car.

The sidesplitting of Martinez, who was 23 astatine the time, successful South Padre Island, Texas, connected March 15, 2025, was reported by section quality outlets astatine the time. But it was not until February of this year, astir 11 months later, that ICE confirmed 1 of its agents had fatally changeable Martinez.

In an interior study released by a nonprofit watchdog radical past month, ICE said Martinez "accelerated forward" and struck an cause during the March 2025 incident. The Department of Homeland Security claimed successful a connection that an ICE cause had fired "defensive shots" into Martinez's conveyance aft Martinez "intentionally ran over" different agent.

But assemblage camera video, which has not been antecedently reported, shows that Martinez's vehicle, a bluish Ford Fusion, was stationary oregon going astatine a precise debased complaint of velocity erstwhile helium was fatally shot. When gunshots are heard successful the video, the brake lights of Martinez' conveyance look to beryllium on.

After he's changeable 3 times, Martinez is seen being pulled from his vehicle, thrown to the crushed by an ICE agent, look down, and past handcuffed. Personnel connected the country are not seen successful the video providing aesculapian attraction until aft helium is handcuffed.

CBS News reached retired to representatives for DHS seeking remark connected the footage.

In her first tv interrogation since her son's death, Rachel Reyes told CBS News she has struggled to find "closure" due to the fact that she had not received immoderate videos oregon reports astir Martinez's sidesplitting astir a twelvemonth after. She called connected investigators to beryllium transparent and for national officials to betterment however migration agents behaviour their duties.

"I don't blasted President Trump for the decease of my son, 'cause helium wasn't the 1 who pulled the trigger," Reyes said, aft noting she voted for Mr. Trump successful 2024. "But I bash deliberation that thing needs to beryllium changed successful that section arsenic acold arsenic the signifier of unit oregon maltreatment and impunity."

The Texas Department of Public Safety investigated Martinez's fatal shooting, though a expansive assemblage past period declined to instrumentality transgression indictments successful the case. On Thursday, a Texas DPS spokesperson told CBS News the bureau planned to merchandise its investigative records sometime Friday.

DHS' authoritative mentation of events had already been antecedently called into question by idiosyncratic astatine the scene. Joshua Orta, Martinez's champion person and a rider successful the conveyance during the shooting, said successful a draught declaration that his person "did not deed anyone" and that helium was trying to comply with commands from officers. Orta died successful a abstracted car clang past month, earlier helium could motion that declaration.

The recently obtained video successful question stems from a assemblage camera worn by a South Padre Island constabulary officer. ICE has said the national Homeland Security Investigations agents progressive successful Martinez's shooting were helping section constabulary officers power postulation aft a car accident.

Nearly 21 minutes into the video, Martinez's conveyance is seen approaching an country with a dense beingness of local, authorities and national instrumentality enforcement officers. Someone tin beryllium heard saying "keep going." Martinez's car is seen moving forward. The conveyance stops for a radical of pedestrians.

At 1 point, immoderate officers look to go concerned, with 1 yelling "stop him" respective times, followed by "get him out." The officers unreserved towards Martinez's vehicle, including the serviceman with a assemblage camera.

Moments later, respective gunshots are heard. Before and during the infinitesimal those shots ringing out, Martinez's conveyance appears to beryllium moving precise slowly, if astatine all, and the brake lights tin beryllium seen.

The video showed the rear of Martinez's car erstwhile the shots were fired, truthful immoderate enactment adjacent the operator was not disposable erstwhile helium was shot.

After the ICE cause changeable Martinez, the conveyance is seen moving slowly. One serviceman is heard saying "stop the f—ing vehicle." Then, the car comes to a implicit stop. The occupants of the vehicle, Martinez and Orta, are directed to exit the vehicle.

The video captures an ICE cause removing Martinez from the car and throwing him to the ground. Face down, he's aboriginal handcuffed. The officers who restrained him are not seen providing aesculapian attraction instantly aft he's removed from the vehicle. The video besides shows Orta being taken into custody.

At astir infinitesimal 23, exigency responders are seen rendering attraction and checking Martinez's assemblage for exit wounds. He was changeable 3 times astir 2 minutes earlier.

In a statement, Charles M. Stam and Alex Stamm, the lawyers representing Reyes, said the footage raises further questions astir the authoritative relationship of the March 2025 shooting.

"These caller videos corroborate that Ruben's car was hardly moving erstwhile helium was shot. That helium was braking, not accelerating. That cipher was connected the hood of his car. That cipher was successful beforehand of his car erstwhile helium was shot. That helium was changeable astatine point-blank scope done his broadside model by an ICE cause who was successful nary danger," Stam and Stamm said.

The assemblage camera besides captured what appears to beryllium an serviceman providing a preliminary briefing to the South Padre Island constabulary main astatine the country astir a fractional hr aft the incident. In that exchange, the serviceman claims Martinez "stepped connected it" and was "on apical of the different agents successful front" earlier being shot. He does not notation immoderate officers being injured.

Orta said helium and Martinez went to South Padre Island to observe Martinez's birthday, saying they hung retired with friends and had nutrient and drinks the nighttime of the shooting. A toxicology surface taken aft Martinez's decease detected intoxicant and marijuana successful his system.

Asked astir that surface successful a caller interview, Stam, the family's lawyer, said Martinez "was ne'er stopped connected suspicion of nationalist intoxication oregon driving nether the power oregon thing of that nature."

"It's important to carnivore successful caput that erstwhile Ruben mislaid his life, his car was successful park, and close aft those 3 bullets came done the model and went into his thorax from that ICE officer, Mr. Orta's statement, said that helium said, 'I'm sorry, sir,' arsenic his past words," Stam added. "This was not idiosyncratic who posed a threat."

In the preliminary briefing caught connected assemblage camera footage, the South Padre Island serviceman alleges Martinez admitted to having intoxicant successful his vehicle.