Alex Stamm says Martinez’s killing was not justified
Attorney for Ruben Martinez’s family
“Ruben didn’t place anyone in danger of death or serious injury, and that it wasn’t legally or morally justifiable to kill Ruben in these circumstances.”
Open source (opens in a new tab)What happened when an ICE agent shot and killed Ruben Martinez on South Padre Island?Sections recounting Alex Stamm’s assessment and Rachel Reyes’s first public interview
Source and context
Reporting
What happened when an ICE agent shot and killed Ruben Martinez on South Padre Island? (opens in a new tab)Sections recounting Alex Stamm’s assessment and Rachel Reyes’s first public interview
About this source
The report compares official descriptions of the encounter with witness, family and attorney accounts.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Texas Tribune reported conflicting official and witness accounts of the South Padre Island encounter.
After the quotation
Stamm’s assessment was presented alongside the family’s account and available evidence.
How this statement is classified
Condemned
Case context: Was HSI Special Agent Jack Stevens justified in fatally shooting Ruben Ray Martinez?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
He directly says the killing was not legally or morally justifiable, opposing the officer’s use of deadly force.
- Recorded on
- Published here

Was HSI Special Agent Jack Stevens justified in fatally shooting Ruben Ray Martinez?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full case“Let us remember the names of those whom ICE has murdered. The first one was a San Antonian, Ruben Ray Martinez. There was another Texan, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo of Houston. Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero—these folks were victims of the ICE murders.”Read statement
“This is a young, sweet, funny, silly boy who spent his first night outside of his home. He did not deserve this.”Read statement
“We stand by the grand jury's unanimous decision that found no criminality.”Read statement