Executive Summary
- Cameron County grand jury rejects indictment against federal agent for 2025 shooting.
- DHS claims agent acted in self-defense after Martinez allegedly used vehicle as weapon.
- Key witness disputed DHS account in draft affidavit before dying in unrelated crash.
- Incident was not disclosed by DHS until media investigations revealed it last week.
A grand jury in Cameron County, Texas, has declined to return indictments regarding the fatal shooting of a United States citizen by a federal immigration agent in March 2025. The Cameron County District Attorney’s Office confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the grand jury rejected the case after reviewing evidence concerning the death of Ruben Ray Martinez.
The incident, which occurred on March 15, 2025, involved a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent. The shooting was not publicly disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security until reports from the Associated Press and other media outlets surfaced last week. According to the District Attorney’s office, no additional details regarding the grand jury’s deliberations were provided.
The Department of Homeland Security has maintained that the use of force was justified. DHS allegations state that Martinez "intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigation special agent," which prompted another agent to discharge "defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public." This narrative was challenged by Joshua Orta, a passenger in Martinez’s vehicle at the time of the encounter.
According to attorneys for the Martinez family, a draft affidavit prepared by Orta prior to his death disputed the official account. Orta reportedly stated that Martinez did not strike an officer with the vehicle and that the car was "just crawling" in traffic on South Padre Island. The affidavit further alleged that a federal agent fired into the driver’s side window without "giving any warning, commands, or opportunity to comply." Orta, described as a key witness, died in an unrelated car crash last weekend.
The shooting is part of a broader scrutiny regarding federal law enforcement operations. Reports indicate this event marks the earliest of at least six deadly shootings by federal officers following the initiation of a nationwide immigration crackdown during President Trump’s second term.
Procedural Transparency & Legal Review
The declination of charges by the grand jury effectively concludes the state-level criminal consideration of the agent’s actions, barring new evidence. The case highlights significant procedural questions regarding transparency in officer-involved shootings, particularly given the delay in public disclosure by federal authorities. Legal analysts note that grand jury proceedings are secretive by design, and a "no bill" decision indicates that jurors did not find probable cause to believe a crime was committed based on the presented evidence. The death of the key eyewitness likely complicated any potential for contradictory testimony against the federal agents’ accounts.
It is important to note that a grand jury decision not to indict is not a finding of innocence, but a determination that there is insufficient evidence to proceed to trial. All individuals involved in legal investigations are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
