Eyewitness to Martinez shooting dies in San Antonio crash, complicating case

A key eyewitness to Ruben Ray Martinez’s fatal shooting by a federal immigration agent last year, Joshua Orta, died in a fiery car crash in San Antonio this weekend. Orta had disputed the government’s narrative that Martinez intentionally ran over a DHS agent, saying the car was barely moving and officers fired without warning. Martinez’s family plans a wrongful-death lawsuit; Texas Rangers are investigating the shooting, and DHS says it stands by its initial account. Orta’s death removes a crucial eyewitness from the case and could affect how the incident is understood and prosecuted.