Overview
- Internal DHS-ICE reports obtained by American Oversight identify a Homeland Security Investigations agent as the shooter in the March 15, 2025 South Padre Island killing of U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez.
- DHS says the driver intentionally ran over an HSI agent and another agent fired “defensive shots,” while the incident drew no public disclosure for nearly a year despite internal notifications.
- The ICE report says HSI agents assisting local police with traffic control surrounded a blue Ford, the driver accelerated, an agent ended up on the hood, and a supervisory agent fired multiple rounds through the open driver-side window.
- Martinez’s family and attorneys dispute the government’s account and call for a full, independent review; the Texas Department of Public Safety says the Rangers’ investigation remains active.
- The documents are heavily redacted, identify both occupants as U.S. citizens, note a passenger was taken into custody, and place the case within a broader rise in deadly encounters during the current immigration crackdown.