Witness in disputed fatal ICE shooting in Texas dies in car crash

The witness of a disputed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shooting in Texas last year died in a car crash in San Antonio on Saturday, according to multiple news reports. A lawyer for Ruben Ray Martinez, a U.S. citizen who was fatally shot in 2025, told The Associated Press that Joshua Orta died in a fiery crash over the weekend. Orta and Martinez rode with each other in South Padre Island, Texas, last March when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed Martinez "intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigation special agent." Alex Stemm, who represents Martinez's mother, called Orta's death "an awful tragedy for his family and friends." "In terms of Ruben’s death, the world has also now lost a critical eyewitness," he added in a statement to The Hill. "We believe Joshua’s account, and, as we have seen recently in Minneapolis, Chicago and elsewhere, it is critical that the public be shown every piece of evidence in the government’s possession, and that any witness come forward." Orta previously told Martinez's family lawyers about the events of the crash in September and planned to work with investigators before his death. He said Martinez did not hit anyone with his car, as the vehicle was "just crawling as we were trying to turn around," according to a draft affidavit obtained by the AP. The officers fired into the driver's side window without "warning, commands or opportunity to comply," he added. The two friends went out on March 15 before they arrived at a crash sight and slowed down while a local police officer approached them, Orta told the lawyers. The officer saw an open alcohol container in the back of their car but told them to turn around. Other officers surrounded the car and started yelling and drew their guns. One officer fired close enough to the window that Orta said bullet casings landed inside the car. After Martinez was shot, Orta recalled that he said he was "sorry" before he slumped back. Officers pulled Martinez out of the car and handcuffed him. A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that Homeland Security Investigation special agents were helping South Padre Island police officers after a "major accident" when Martinez's blue Ford "intentionally ran over a Homeland Security Investigation special agent resulting in him being on the hood of the vehicle." "Upon witnessing this, another agent fired defensive shots to protect himself, his fellow agents, and the general public," the spokesperson said. "The driver was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. The agent who was ran over sustained a knee injury and was taken to the hospital." Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) has called ICE's account of the shooting into question and on Monday accused the agency and the Texas Department of Public Safety of an attempted cover-up. "This demands a full investigation. His family deserves justice and our communities deserve accountability and transparency," he wrote in a post on the social platform X. The Associated Press contributed.