The federal agent who shot and killed a U.S. citizen in South Padre, Texas, last year has been identified in a police report obtained by Newsweek through a public information request as Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Agent Jack Stevens, an investigator with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On Wednesday, a Texas grand jury declined to indict Stevens in the March 15, 2025, shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, after viewing available evidence.
Those newly released records also show Martinez had a blood-alcohol level well above Texas’ legal driving limit and traces of marijuana in his system at the time he was shot, according to a toxicology report reviewed by Newsweek.
Martinez’s killing, first reported by Newsweek, is the third known death of an American at the hands of a federal immigration officer since President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office and pledged a crackdown on illegal immigration. The case has raised broader questions about the use of force and transparency from federal agencies, even as the White House asserts it is “the most transparent administration in history.”
An email sent to Stevens requesting comment was referred to an ICE representative.
When reached for comment on Wednesday, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson requested the name of the agent involved not be made public, citing what she described as a massive increase in death threats.
“Publishing their names put their lives and their families lives in danger,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis told Newsweek in an email.
Texas state law gives the public the right to request access to government information, including the names of law enforcement officers in police reports, which is routinely published by news organizations. The law also provides exceptions for withholding confidential or privileged information, but no such objections were raised by the officials who reviewed Newsweek’s request.
What Happened to Ruben Ray Martinez?
Martinez’s death was reported by local media at the time, but the involvement of ICE was not publicly disclosed until nearly a year later when Newsweek reviewed internal ICE records obtained by watchdog American Oversight via a Freedom of Information Act request.
News that Martinez had been killed by an ICE agent emerged after the high-profile killings by federal agents last month in Minneapolis of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in separate incidents stoked outrage and protests from opponents of Trump’s immigration crackdown. At the times they were killed, Pretti was filming federal agents during an immigration operation and intervened in a confrontation with a bystander, while Good was acting as a legal observer and blocking a roadway.
According to the ICE incident report for the South Padre Island shooting, HSI agents were assisting local police with redirecting traffic in the early hours of March 15, 2025, when Martinez drove into a restricted area and failed to follow instructions to stop or turn away. The report said Martinez’s vehicle slowed briefly before accelerating forward and striking an HSI special agent, who ended up on the hood of the car. A supervisory HSI agent then fired multiple rounds at the driver through the open driver’s side window, after which the vehicle came to a stop. Martinez was transported to Valley Regional Medical Center in Brownsville, where he was later pronounced dead.
Police and medical records newly obtained by Newsweek now provide additional details, which largely match the sequence of events laid out in ICE’s earlier account.
A South Padre Island Police Department incident report states that officers and HSI agents were directing traffic near the 2300 block of Padre Boulevard, where a separate vehicle accident had left multiple people injured and the roadway closed. The police report says Martinez drove into the restricted area and ignored repeated verbal commands from officers and agents.
According to the police, Martinez’s vehicle appeared to slow or stop briefly as agents approached and ordered him to exit the car. Moments later, the report says, Martinez accelerated forward, striking HSI Agent Hector Sosa, who was positioned in front of the vehicle and landed on the hood.
Attempts to contact Sosa were unsuccessful.
The same police report identifies Stevens as the agent who fired three shots toward the driver’s side of the vehicle as Martinez accelerated. The vehicle came to a stop immediately after the shots were fired, the report states. Martinez was removed from the car, handcuffed and provided medical aid by agents and first responders before being transported by EMS to Valley Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:27 a.m.
DHS did not provide more details on Stevens when asked on Thursday, instead reiterating that its agents were “under constant threat from violent agitators.”
Last week, a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesperson told Newsweek an investigation into the shooting was ongoing. Department officials did not immediately respond to questions on Thursday about the current status of the investigation.
An autopsy report seen by Newsweek documented seven gunshot wounds caused by three bullets, with injuries to the lungs, heart, liver, stomach and diaphragm.
The toxicology report found that Martinez’s blood-alcohol level was 0.124 percent, which is above Texas’ legal driving limit. Alcohol was also detected in other samples taken after his death, a consistency that medical examiners typically view as confirming intoxication.
Testing also showed marijuana in Martinez’s system, including active THC, the compound responsible for the drug’s intoxicating effects. In addition, the report detected alprazolam, commonly known by the brand name Xanax, a prescription medication used to treat anxiety.
”After a year defined by a persistent lack of transparency since Ruben Ray Martinez was shot and killed by an ICE officer, once again, his family is left in the dark by yet another event,” attorneys for Martinez’s mother Rachel Reyes, said in a statement to Newsweek following the grand jury decision.
A spokesperson for ICE told Newsweek on Wednesday, “This incident was investigated by the state authorities and presented to a grand jury who today unanimously found no criminality.”
Martinez’s Family Is Still Looking For Answers
Martinez’s family says it is still seeking an independent review of the shooting and greater transparency about the findings so far.
Attorneys for Reyes said they are urging the Texas DPS to publicly release the full results of its investigation so the family can assess whether the account provided by ICE is accurate.
“Ruben’s family is devastated,” the attorneys said. “They are proud Americans, strong supporters of law enforcement, and Trump voters. They believe there are honest and decent officers out there. They just want to be treated honestly and decently.”
The family’s search for answers comes as it was reported this week that the passenger who was with Martinez that night died in a car crash on February 21. Joshua Orta, 25, was a key witness in his friend’s shooting, and had planned to formally sign a statement that contradicted the DHS version of events.
Some Democratic lawmakers have alleged a “cover-up” by federal authorities, a charge dismissed by DHS as “preposterous.” Those Democrats are calling for transparency, including the release of body-camera footage, and a federal investigation.
With additional reporting by Joshua Rhett Miller.
