Texas
Videos show US citizen’s shooting death in Texas last year by federal immigration agent
WASHINGTON – Newly released videos showing the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen by a federal immigration agent in Texas last year call into question assertions by the Department of Homeland Security that a driver intentionally rammed an agent with his car immediately before he was killed.
The videos, including from officer body cameras, offer the first visual account of the shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, during a beach trip last year. Hours of footage and other law enforcement records were released Friday following a public records request from The Associated Press and other news outlets.
Martinez’s death was the earliest of at least six fatal shootings by federal agents since President Donald Trump launched a nationwide immigration crackdown in his second term, and is among several cases in which video has called into question the administration’s initial narratives.
The Texas Rangers closed their investigation into the March 15, 2025, shooting after a grand jury declined last week to file any criminal charges against Homeland Security Investigations Supervisory Special Agent Jack Stevens, who fired the fatal shots, according to records released by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
In a written statement included in the files, Stevens said he fired to protect his fellow agents, police officers and the public from what he feared was a potential terrorist attack intended to cause mass casualties. A DHS spokesperson said last month the HSI agent fired defensive shots after the driver “intentionally ran over” his fellow agent, “resulting in him being on the hood of the vehicle.”
The newly released body camera videos, taken from behind Martinez’s car, do not clearly show the vehicle striking an agent.
Another video shows Joshua Orta, who was riding in the car with Martinez, telling investigators that his friend had not intended to harm federal officers but had “panicked” because he feared getting arrested for driving while intoxicated.
“He didn’t know what to do. Like he definitely didn’t want to go to jail,” Orta said. “But as far as like running over an officer … he wouldn’t do that.”
Spokespersons for DHS did not respond to requests for comment about the videos.
‘Shots fired, shots fired’
While local media reported at the time the shooting involved a police officer, DHS did not publicly disclose its agents were involved until after the AP and other media outlets reported it last month.
Martinez was just days past his 23rd birthday when he and Orta drove from their hometown of San Antonio down to South Padre Island, a popular spring break party destination. They drank with friends and smoked marijuana before heading back out on the town, Orta told investigators.
Martinez was driving his blue Ford sedan when, shortly after midnight, they came upon the scene where South Padre police officers were directing traffic around a two-car collision at a busy intersection. Also at the scene were three HSI agents from a maritime border security task force redirected to conduct immigration enforcement, according to documents.
In body camera footage captured by two of the island’s police officers, Martinez’s car can be seen slowly approaching the intersection, appearing to go straight as vehicles were being instructed to turn left. Martinez’s car slows to a crawl — nearly a full stop — for pedestrians in the crosswalk. Once the pedestrians are out of the way, the car slowly pulls into the intersection before stopping again as the HSI agents approach, shouting instructions for the driver to stop.
One of the HSI agents, identified in documents as Special Agent Hector Sosa, moves in front of the car. Stevens is on the driver’s side and reaches toward the door.
“Get him out, get him out,” one of the officers can be heard shouting.
Martinez’s car begins slowly moving forward and turning to the left, where other vehicles were traveling. Stevens, on the driver’s side of the car, is keeping pace and appears to be leaning in toward the open driver’s side window. As officers yell for Martinez to stop, Stevens pulls his weapon and rapidly fires three shots through the window before quickly backing away.
“Shots fired, shots fired,” one of the police officers wearing a camera yells into his radio.
The entire incident transpires in about 15 seconds.
Agents pull the driver from the car
The blue Ford quickly comes to a full stop and Martinez is pulled from the vehicle and handcuffed by multiple officers. Orta is also pulled from the passenger seat and handcuffed.
Martinez remains in cuffs and on the ground, unmoving, for about a minute before paramedics already on the scene of the earlier traffic accident begin to provide medical aid.
An autopsy report shows all three shots fired by Stevens hit Martinez, with bullets traveling through his left arm before entering his torso and piercing his heart, lungs, liver and other organs. The autopsy report also showed that Martinez’s blood alcohol level was 0.12%, well above the legal limit to drive in Texas of 0.08%.
In a three-page written statement provided to the Texas Rangers almost two months after the shooting, Stevens said he fired his weapon as Martinez “accelerated forward, striking Special Agent Sosa who wound up on the hood of the vehicle.” He also said he narrowly avoided being run over, being struck by the driver’s side and “causing the mirror to break off of the vehicle.” A photo from the scene showed the mirror damaged, but still on the car.
As he fired, the agent said that “still fresh on his mind” were recent domestic and international events, including a man who had driven a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans weeks earlier.
“The driver’s eyes were open widely, fist clenched to the steering wheel, and he was looking past the officers on scene as he failed to comply with the loud and repeated verbal commands of multiple law enforcement officers,” Stevens wrote. “This is a behavior I have observed in my training and experience as a pre attack indicator and sign of noncompliance as the suspect is looking in the path of their intended movement and is not indicative of compliance. This path of movement, if left unmitigated, would, using the vehicle as a weapon, have resulted in numerous casualties.”
As reported by AP last month, an internal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation said the agent struck by the car was treated for an unspecified knee injury at a nearby hospital and released. The newly released videos show the agent after the shooting arresting Orta and walking without any visible injury or limp.
‘That’s when he panicked and turned the wheel’
Orta said Martinez had been drinking earlier that night — several shots and a beer — and smoked marijuana when he approached the traffic checkpoint where a vehicle accident had occurred earlier.
One officer spotted an open alcoholic beverage near Martinez but directed the car to keep moving and turn to the left. Instead, Martinez continued straight, toward the accident and more officers.
“That’s when he panicked and turned the wheel, and he didn’t floor the gas but we kind of went a little bit and I guess they thought he was like trying to run the cop over or something,” Orta said.
Orta said that their car came to a “full stop” at first. Then Martinez turned to the left with the car “barely moving.”
“I saw the officer kind of get on the hood. Like he didn’t hit him, but like he kind of like, you know what I mean, caught his feet,” Orta said. “It was just slowly moving and they started shooting.”
Orta died Feb. 21 in a car accident in San Antonio.
Lawyers representing Martinez’s mother, Rachel Reyes, said in a statement the newly released videos and other evidence showed his car was barely moving when Stevens fired at point-blank range.
“This batch of evidence shows no justification for Ruben’s killing,” lawyers Charles M. Stam and Alex Stamm said. “Still, our pursuit of full transparency will continue until we have all the facts. We, and the public, have yet to see all of the evidence held by the government.”
___
Boone reported from Boise, Idaho, and Brook from New Orleans. Associated Press reporters Jesse Bedayn in Denver, Jaun Lozano in Houston and John Hanna it Topeka, Kansas, contributed.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Texas
Texas man accused of killing pregnant wife allegedly cuts off ankle monitor and flees to Italy
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Texas man facing charges for allegedly killing his pregnant wife has reportedly cut off his ankle monitor and fled abroad.
Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and the couple’s unborn child in Houston in 2024, according to KPRC.
Gilley was set to appear in court Tuesday, but instead flew from Texas to Canada, and finally Italy, where he told authorities he was seeking asylum after being “wrongfully prosecuted” and is fearful of receiving the death penalty, his attorney told the outlet.
“I’m concerned that the prosecution will try to say that it’s evidence of consciousness of guilt that he’s running from it, but I think he’s just scared,” defense attorney Dick DeGuerin reportedly said.
NAVY RESERVIST ON ACTIVE DUTY ACCUSED OF MURDERING WIFE BELIEVED TO HAVE FLED TO HONG KONG
Lee Mongerson Gilley, 39, is accused of murdering his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, and their unborn child in Houston in 2024, according to KPRC. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
Gilley, whose murder trial was set to begin later this month, is reportedly in the custody of Italian authorities. His ankle monitor alerted authorities it had been tampered with on Friday, according to the outlet.
DeGuerin told the outlet that before Gilley can be returned to Texas, the state must certify to Italy that he is not eligible for the death penalty — which the prosecution is not seeking in his case.
SEND US A TIP HERE
Gilley is accused of killing his wife, Christa, and their unborn baby by “applying pressure to [her] neck and upper back” on Oct. 7, 2024, according to charging documents obtained by People.
HUSBAND CHARGED IN PREGNANT PHYSICAL THERAPIST WIFE’S MURDER AFTER GIVING POLICE A DIFFERENT STORY
Defense attorney Ed McClees and his client, Lee Mongerson Gilley, appear in the 497th District Court at the Harris County Justice Center in Houston on Oct. 17, 2024. Gilley is charged with capital murder in the death of his wife, Christa Gilley. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Prosecutors reportedly allege Gilley initially claimed Christa, who was nine months pregnant, had overdosed and that he had tried to save her with CPR, but a medical examiner later pointed to evidence of strangulation and ruled her death a homicide.
LISTEN TO THE NEW ‘CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO’ PODCAST
After he was arrested days later, Gilley allegedly admitted his wife was not a drug user or suicidal, and that the couple had been arguing before her death, KPRC reported.
In 2025, while out on bond, prosecutors reportedly allege Gilley and an unnamed woman, whom he had an affair with in 2023, devised a scheme to flee to Mexico and other countries, according to the outlet.
MISSING FATHER OF 3 MAY HAVE FAKED HIS OWN DEATH AND FLED TO ‘SOMEPLACE IN EUROPE’: OFFICIALS
Prosecutors allege Lee Mongerson Gilley killed his wife, Christa Bauer Gilley, who was nine months pregnant, in Houston in 2024. (Christa Bauer Gilley/Facebook)
“The Defendant also inquired as to whether she knew of a Mexican identity he could acquire to facilitate his departure from the country,” the document said.
Gilley also allegedly “provided a detailed plan” to remove his GPS monitor and perform a sham marriage to obtain a new identity, prosecutors reportedly said.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Authorities are working to extradite Gilley back to the country, according to KPRC.
Gilley’s defense attorney and the Harris County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) announced on Monday that Texas baseball pitcher Dylan Volantis will share this week’s Pitcher of the Week award with LSU’s Zac Cowan. From Texas Athletics’ announcement:
“Against No. 10 Mississippi State, Volantis registered a co-career-best 12 strikeouts and scattered three singles across six scoreless innings. After the Bulldogs notched a two-out infield hit in the first, the 6-foot-6, 220-pound left-hander retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced. Volantis capped off that stretch by punching out the side on only 10 pitches in the fourth. Overall, the Thousand Oaks, Calif., native threw 107 pitches, which marked the most by a Longhorn this year. In Texas’ 3-1 victory, the Longhorns totaled 19 strikeouts, tying their most in a nine-inning game in program history.“
Advertisement
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE LONGHORNS
Austin American-Statesman: Where did Reese Atwood, Leighann Goode get selected in AUSL Draft?
Austin American-Statesman: Texas beach volleyball falls 3-2 to UCLA in national semifinals
Austin American-Statesman: Texas tennis teams advance to Sweet 16 rounds of the NCAA Tournaments
Austin American-Statesman: Why was Texas starter Ruger Riojas pulled after only 71 pitches?
247Sports: Horns247 Roundtable: One under-the-radar storyline around Texas football our staff is watching
Inside Texas: Are the tides beginning to turn for Texas’ most important players for postseason success?
Advertisement
Inside Texas: Six under-discussed Texas football offseason topics
ICYMI IN BURNT ORANGE NATION
No. 4 Texas rallies from early deficit for 11-6 win over No. 10 Mississippi State
Lack of timely hitting dooms No. 4 Texas in 7-4 loss to No. 10 Mississippi State
Dylan Volantis powers No. 4 Texas to 3-1 win over No. 10 Mississippi State
Texas basketball executed ‘aggressive’ plan in the NCAA transfer portal
Four-star RB Noah Roberts picks Texas
RECRUITING ROUNDUP
247Sports: The Stampede: 10 more targets that could join Texas’ 2027 class
Inside Texas: Inside Scoop: News on five-star targets, notes, Texas coaches hit recruiting trail
Advertisement
Inside Texas: Texas Recruiting Update: Texas seeing elite OT Ismael Camara, Marcus Fakatou trims list
Inside Texas: Sean Miller estimates ’20-25′ college basketball rosters worth over $20 million
Inside Texas: Recruiting Shift: A&M momentum may actually help Texas with John Meredith
Inside Texas: Flip Watch: 10 committed prospects Texas could make a move on
SEC SHOWDOWN
Austin American-Statesman: Texas Softball: Longhorns secure double bye in SEC Tournament
247Sports: How a Game of Thrones reference helped Luke Harrison overcome bad start, lead Texas baseball to big win
Good Bull Hunting: Aggie baseball drops series to No. 8 Auburn
Advertisement
Rock M Nation: Struggles in Georgia: Mizzou baseball suffers series sweep to top-ranked Bulldogs
And The Valley Shook: Tigers sweep South Carolina to stay alive
Rocky Top Talk: Inconsistency continues to plague Tennessee baseball
Roll ‘Bama Roll: How sweep it is, Alabama takes down Vanderbilt
A Sea Of Blue: UK eyes Memorial Coliseum naming rights deal in major revenue push
WHAT WE’RE READING
SB Nation: The Chicago Sky just signed one of the WNBA’s best free agents
SB Nation: Nelly Korda is one of the most dominant athletes in the world right now
SB Nation: Carolina Hurricanes ‘beer skate’ so popular that things are getting dumb on eBay
Advertisement
NEWS ACROSS LONGHORN NATION AND BEYOND
-
What a ride it’s been for these seniors.
Texas
‘Muslim only’ event at taxpayer-funded Texas waterpark gets major splash back: ‘Should we expect a Christians only day?’
A taxpayer-funded Texas waterpark is getting splash-back for a “Muslims only” event next month after a local Islamic group rented out the facility.
A flier for the DFW Epic Eid event on June 1 noted three times that attendance was strictly for Muslims — and modest swimsuits are required.
“Seems like a civil rights violation,” one outraged commenter said.
“Should we expect a ‘Christians Only’ day?” another commenter asked.
Radio host Dana Loesch asked, “How is a taxpayer-funded, city-owned entity allowed to discriminate against non-Muslims at a public water park?”
After the backlash, the organizer of the event, Aminah Knight, told The Post that she is backtracking on how she is advertising it — “to make it clearer that this is a modest dress-only event centered around celebrating Eid.”
The third-annual event is being held at Epic Waters in Grand Prairie, outside Dallas, a massive, 80,000-square-feet indoor waterpark opened in 2017 at a cost of $88 million.
The park was funded by a 0.25% sales tax residents approved at the ballot box in 2014.
The FAQ for the event says “the entire waterpark has been exclusively reserved for Muslims.”
Although the event website says men and women will not be separated during the event, it notes “we ask all attendees to uphold Islamic etiquette just as they do in other mixed gender spaces,” and encourages all visitors to follow a “modest” dress code and lower their gaze around members of the opposite sex “to help preserve a spiritually mindful and welcoming atmosphere for all.”
The website offers suggestions, including an entire “what to wear” section of the site, complete with purchase links for modesty-approved swimwear for women, girls, boys and toddlers.
Event tickets are being advertised for $55 a pop, or $65 with food included, all of which will be certified halal, according to the flyer.
Also advertised is a private prayer room, which will be available between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. on the night of the celebration.
A new flier for the event — released on Monday — removed the worlds “Muslim only” and replaced it with “modest dress only” and added the line “come and celebrate Eid with us, all are welcome!”
Knight told The Post that she did not mean to exclude non-Muslims in organizing the event.
“The core intention behind this event is to create a space where individuals and families who value modest dress and a modest environment can come together and feel comfortable enjoying a recreational space that often doesn’t naturally accommodate those preferences,” she said.
“While the event is rooted in celebrating Eid within the Muslim community, the guiding principle for attendance is the modest dress code.
“Guests are expected to follow that guideline; such as burkinis for women and swim trunks with shirts for men.”
Knight said the park regularly rents out the space for private events, and that this event is no different.
A spokesperson for the water park said the event is “not hosted or organized” by Epic Waters, and that it makes its space available for rent to a variety of groups, including faith-based orgs like DFW Epic Eid.
“These groups regularly book our venue for birthday parties, celebrations, youth events, corporate programming, and other activities, including full-park buyouts for large-scale private or ticketed events. As with all rentals, the hosting entity, not the waterpark, determines the event’s programming,” the spokesperson said.
-
Tennessee6 minutes agoTennessee Football RB Star Thomas Receives His NFL Fate After Tennessee Titans Camp
-
Texas12 minutes agoTexas man accused of killing pregnant wife allegedly cuts off ankle monitor and flees to Italy
-
Utah18 minutes agoSpring is in full bloom at Utah’s magical Thanksgiving Point Tulip Festival
-
Vermont24 minutes agoVermont schools to get $11.58M in delayed COVID funds – Valley News
-
Virginia30 minutes agoThree Takeaways From Virginia Tech Baseball’s Series Win Vs Cal
-
Washington36 minutes agoWhy is the protester still on top the Frederick Douglass Bridge in DC?
-
Wisconsin42 minutes agoPackers award $100K in grants to help launch girls flag football teams in Wisconsin high schools
-
West Virginia48 minutes agoVerizon outage reported in West Virginia