Key witness to fatal ICE shooting dies in car accident, report says
When an American citizen was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas last year, the only passenger in the car was also killed in a separate car crash, according to a report.
Joshua Orta, 25, was in the passenger seat when his friend said: Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was shot multiple times and killed by an ICE agent. on March 15, 2025, after federal authorities say he failed to comply with orders to exit his vehicle.
Before Orta died in an unrelated car crash last weekend, he planned to share his account of events, which contradicted the government’s account of the shooting. New York Times reported.
Orta detailed his own events in a written statement obtained in September by attorneys representing Martinez’s family for future legal proceedings.
Orta said in a statement that he and Martinez did not resist law enforcement and were trying to comply with orders to turn the car around when the situation escalated and Martinez was shot. Times reported.
The only witness to Ruben Ray Martinez’s fatal shooting was his friend Joshua Orta (pictured), who died in an unrelated car crash, according to a report (Rachel Reyes via AP)
He was planning to sign the declaration, cooperating with investigators hired by Marintez’s family, before he was killed in a car crash on a San Antonio highway last Saturday.
According to a preliminary report from San Antonio police, the person behind the wheel was driving at a “high rate of speed” when he tried to exit the highway and lost control of the vehicle. Orta’s stepfather confirmed he was involved in the accident Times.
“First and foremost, Joshua’s death is a terrible tragedy for his family and friends, and the Reyes family mourns with them,” said Alex Stamm, attorney for Martinez’s mother, Rachel Reyes. “The world has now lost a critical eyewitness to Ruben’s death.”
“We believe Joshua’s account, and as we have seen recently in Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere, it is critical that every piece of evidence the government has is made public and every witness comes forward,” Stamm said.
When asked about the March shooting, the Department of Homeland Security said a federal agent fatally shot a man to “protect himself, his fellow agents, and the public.”
A DHS spokesperson previously said: “The driver of a blue Ford intentionally struck a Homeland Security Investigations special agent, causing him to fall onto the hood of the vehicle. Another agent who witnessed this opened fire defensively to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public.” Independent. “This incident is actively investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger Division.”
Independent He contacted DHS for further comment on the shooting.
During the March incident, Martinez initially failed to follow officers’ instructions to stop his vehicle, but eventually stopped after receiving verbal commands, according to internal documents reviewed by ICE. Times.
Joshua Orta planned to cooperate with investigators investigating the death of his friend Ruben Ray Martinez (Reuters)
Federal agents surrounded the vehicle and ordered Martinez to exit the car. Instead, he accelerated and hit a federal agent, who landed on the roof of the car, the document continues.
A different agent then fired multiple shots through the driver’s side window. Martinez was taken to a local hospital and later died. The family’s lawyer confirmed Times That he was the victim named in the ICE report.
However, Orta’s statement regarding September contradicted the agency’s account of the incident. Orta wrote that they were celebrating Martinez’s 23rd birthday when they arrived at the scene of a car accident.
The two friends later became concerned because an open bottle of alcohol was found in the car. But when they were approached by a police officer at the scene, they were told to turn back. In his statement, Orta wrote that traffic was disrupted due to the accident and there was no room to move the vehicle.
“As we slowly inched back into traffic, another officer, a state trooper, walked up to our car” and “knocked on the hood,” he wrote.
One officer “appeared to be trying to get in front of the car” when the situation escalated and officers began yelling at them before drawing their guns, Orta’s written statement said.
Orta said the agent fired “multiple shots” through the open driver’s window “without any warning, command or opportunity to comply.”
“I heard Ruben say ‘I’m sorry’ and then slump backwards,” Orta added.
ICE protests gained momentum across the country following the killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both American citizens, in Minneapolis. (AFP/Getty)
Orta wrote that he saw officers place Martinez face down on the ground and handcuff him after he was shot in the chest.
“Ruben was unarmed, non-violent, did not run away or resist when he was shot. His killing was unjust and excessive,” he wrote.
The March shooting remains under investigation by the Texas Rangers. Independent He reached out to the state agency for comment.
It is not yet clear whether Orta’s lack of a signed witness statement will affect the investigation into the shooting.
Martinez’s shooting occurred months before Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, both American citizens, were killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
