When Renee Good was shot by an ICE agent whom she was trying to run down with her SUV, liberals hoped that they had their new George Floyd. Riots didn't ignite, though, even after the shooting of Alex Pretti soon afterward. As we reported last week, though, a dance troupe recreated their deaths via interpretive dance in front of the Trump-Kennedy Center.
Now, Texas Democrats are citing a story in Newsweek that they hope will turn into the next Renee Good. Texas State Rep. Gina Hinojosa says that before there were Renee Good and Alex Pretti, there was Ruben Ray Martinez, another American citizen shot by a federal agent.
Before Renee Good.
— Gina Hinojosa (@GinaHinojosaTX) February 21, 2026
Before Alex Pretti.
There was Ruben Ray Martinez.
A Texan. An American.
They tried to hide it. We’ll get answers. pic.twitter.com/Rmb8R2iORw
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez is also on the case and says that ICE is profiling Latinos.
We just found out ICE agents shot and killed 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez a year ago. @TxDPS covered it up.
— Senator Roland Gutierrez (@RolandForTexas) February 21, 2026
DPS is lying when they say they aren’t targeting Latinos, and I’m going to make sure we have justice and accountability. #txlege pic.twitter.com/NL3xyCfHxQ
Also promising to look into the cover-up of Martinez's death is Rep. Joaquin Castro:
An ICE agent shot and killed Ruben Ray Martinez, a US citizen and San Antonio resident, in March 2025. Then ICE and the Texas Department of Public Safety covered it up. He was 23 years old. I am calling for a full investigation into this shooting, including why there was an… https://t.co/ahtKSDtvz7
— Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) February 20, 2026
"… 8-month cover up."
Newsweek reported on Friday:
Recommended
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has told Newsweek that a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent fired "defensive shots" at a driver after he "intentionally ran over" another federal agent.
Immigration agents shot and killed Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, on March 15, 2025, in South Padre Island, Texas, but the involvement of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) HSI unit was not publicly disclosed at the time.
…
In a statement to Newsweek, DHS said HSI agents were assisting the South Padre Island Police Department following a major accident.
"A driver of a 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," a spokesperson for the agency 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." Newsweek has been unable to independently corroborate the agency’s account.
Newsweek has been unable to corroborate anyone's account, but they went ahead with the story, putting qualifying quotation marks around "defensive shots" and "intentionally ran over."
23 or 43, you can't run over law enforcement.
— david spratt (@Oil_vampire) February 21, 2026
This the same guy who used his vehicle as a weapon?
— I CAN TOO (@davidcantu14600) February 21, 2026
Leaving out a few details again, like the agent on his windshield.
— Krustchef (@krustchef28091) February 21, 2026
Do you have any credible sources?
— The Intersect (@mburm201) February 21, 2026
What they don't have that they did have in Good's case is video of the incident.
I’m sure he was sitting on a bench reading a book when it happened.
— TimeForStacking (@TimeForStacking) February 21, 2026
Oh well. I’ll allow it.
Ummmm may not be important, but didn’t that dude literally run over a police officer?
— D. Brandon Right (@DBrandonRight1) February 21, 2026
You should have not left the border open. pic.twitter.com/HHyKIqBEmk
— Michael Gundersen (@gundy46060) February 21, 2026
I’ve investigated the incident and it was a good shooting.
— Dr. Mickey O'Rourke (@MickeyORourke3) February 21, 2026
Do you research anything, or are you expecting people to take this as truth and scroll on to the next post?
— Randal McGoven (@Gh0stBlack0ut) February 21, 2026
Ruben Ray Martinez intentionally ran over an ICE agent during a traffic incident, prompting another agent to fire defensive shots, killing Martinez.
Crazy how you never speak about the people who were victims of illegal aliens. Never.
— Adan 13 (@Adan133) February 21, 2026
You've already made your decision and therefore have introduced bias. He did not comply and ran a law enforcement officer over. He made an adult decision and faced the consequences. It's unfortunate and shouldn't have happened, but responsibility resides with the young man.
— Christopher Jackson (@aggietkdmaster) February 21, 2026
Pretty certain attempting vehicular manslaughter on a federal agent warrants deadly force. Make better choices.
— Rick Perras (@ru_rick) February 21, 2026
Anybody in here remember these type of posts towards the families of the American citizens that were slaughtered at the hands of people this guy’s party let into our country illegally? No? Hmmm we must’ve missed those posts.
— Jean Romanik (@JeanRomanik) February 21, 2026
Was it reported on the local news 8 months ago?
— Cynthia (@2pupsonice) February 21, 2026
There was no cover-up. ICE investigated the incident fully after it happened. It just didn't have the advantage of a video to go viral on social media.
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