India, Feb. 24 -- The only passenger who was in the car with Ruben Ray Martinez when an ICE officer shot him dead in South Texas last year has died in a separate car accident, attorneys told Newsweek. 25-year-old Joshua Orta had made some damning claims about Martinez's shooting, contradicting official accounts.

Orta, a close friend and the only known eyewitness to Martinez's death, was reportedly planning to formally sign a statement and assist with further inquiries into the incident. However, over the weekend, he was killed in an unrelated highway collision near San Antonio, according to Martinez's family attorney.

Martinez, 23, was fatally shot on March 15, 2025, in South Padre Island, Texas, during an encounter with federal agents....