Documents Detail Fatal Shooting of US Citizen by HSI Agent

Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old American citizen from San Antonio, Texas, was fatally shot by a federal immigration agent during a late-night traffic encounter in South Padre Island, Texas, on March 15, 2025, according to internal documents released this week by a nonprofit watchdog group.

The incident occurred shortly after midnight when Homeland Security Investigations agents from a Harlingen-based unit were assisting South Padre Island police in redirecting traffic around a major vehicle accident that had caused multiple injuries. Martinez, who had recently turned 23 and was driving a blue Ford four-door sedan with a friend to celebrate in the area, approached the controlled intersection, the documents state. Agents issued verbal commands for the vehicle to stop, and it eventually halted after multiple orders. The agents then surrounded the car and instructed the driver and passenger to exit.

According to the internal incident report, Martinez accelerated forward, striking one Homeland Security Investigations special agent, who landed on the hood of the vehicle. A supervisory special agent then fired multiple rounds through the open driver's side window. Martinez was...