When a U.S. citizen was shot and killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas last year, the car’s lone occupant died in another crash, according to reports.
Joshua Orta, 25, was riding in the passenger seat when his friend, Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was shot multiple times by ICE agents on March 15, 2025, after federal authorities said he failed to comply with orders to get out of his car.
Horta planned to share his account of the events, which contradicted the government’s account of the shooting, before he died in an unrelated car crash last weekend. new york times reported.
Horta detailed his version of events in a written statement signed in September by attorneys representing Martinez’s family for future legal proceedings.
Horta said in the statement that he and Martinez did not resist law enforcement officers and attempted to follow their orders to turn around, but the situation escalated and Martinez was shot. era reported.
The only witness to the shooting death of Ruben Ray Martinez, his friend Joshua Orta (pictured), reportedly died in an unrelated car crash (Rachel Reyes, AP)
He had planned to sign the statement and cooperate with investigators hired by Malintes’ family before she died in a crash on a San Antonio highway last Saturday.
A preliminary report from San Antonio police said the driver was traveling at a “high rate of speed” when he attempted to exit the highway and lost control of the vehicle. Horta’s stepfather confirms his involvement in accident Second-rate.
“First and foremost, Joshua’s death is a terrible tragedy for his family and friends, and the Reyes family grieves with them,” said Alex Stam, attorney for Martinez’s mother, Rachel Reyes. “The world has now also lost an important witness to Reuben’s death.”
“We believe Joshua’s story, and as we’ve seen recently in Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere, it’s critical that every piece of evidence the government has is presented to the public and all witnesses come forward,” Stam said.
Asked about the March shooting, the Department of Homeland Security said a federal agent shot and killed a man to “protect himself, his fellow agents and the public.”
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security previously said: “The driver of a blue Ford intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigations agent, leaving him on the hood of the vehicle. Upon witnessing the incident, another agent fired his weapon in defense to protect himself, his fellow agents and the public.” independent. “The Texas Department of Public Safety Ranger Division is actively investigating this incident.”
independent The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for further comment on the shooting.
During the March incident, Martinez initially failed to comply with police instructions to stop, but eventually stopped after receiving verbal commands, according to internal ICE documents. era.
Joshua Horta plans to cooperate with investigators probing the death of his friend Ruben Ray Martinez (Reuters)
Federal agents surrounded the vehicle and ordered Martinez to exit the vehicle. Instead, he accelerated and hit a federal agent, who landed on the roof of the car, the document continues.
Another agent then fired multiple shots through the driver’s side window. Martinez was taken to a local hospital, where he later died. The family’s lawyer confirmed to the police era He is the victim named in the ICE report.
However, Horta’s statement in September contradicted the agency’s version of events. Horta wrote that they were celebrating Martinez’s 23rd birthday when they discovered the scene of a car accident.
The two friends then became concerned because there was an open bottle of alcohol in their car. However, when they were approached by a police officer at the scene, they were told to turn around. Horta wrote in a statement that due to the traffic jam caused by the accident, there was no room to move the car.
“As we were plodding along in traffic to make a U-turn, another officer, a state trooper, walked up to our car” and “swatted the hood,” he wrote.
According to Horta’s written record, an officer “appeared to try to walk up to the car,” at which point the situation escalated and the officer began yelling at them before pulling out his gun.
Horta said the agents 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 he fell backwards,” Horta added.
ICE protests have intensified across the country following the killings of U.S. citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. (AFP/Getty)
Horta wrote that he saw officers place Martinez face down on the ground and handcuff him after he was shot in the chest.
“Reuben was unarmed and non-violent when he was shot and did not run away or resist. His killing was unjust and excessive,” he wrote.
The March shooting remains under investigation by the Texas Rangers. independent State agencies have been contacted for comment.
It’s unclear whether the absence of witness statements signed by Horta will affect the investigation into the shooting.
Martinez’s shooting came just months before U.S. citizens Renee Nicole Goode and Alex Pretty were killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.