The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office on Thursday, April 2, 2026, ruled that the death of 25-year-old Joshua Orta, the lone civilian witness to a controversial South Padre Island shooting last year, was an accident caused by conflagration injuries. Orta died in a single-vehicle crash in late February, an episode that quickly fed national speculation before any official finding was on the record.
Medical Examiner Rules Death Accidental
According to KABB, the Bexar County Medical Examiner listed “conflagration injuries” as the cause of death and the manner of death as accidental. San Antonio police told KABB that Orta was speeding as he tried to take a curved exit, lost control of the vehicle, hit a pole and the car caught fire. Several passengers managed to escape but could not pull Orta out, and emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
Crash Timeline From Police
As reported by The Associated Press, the single-vehicle crash happened in late February on a curved highway exit near downtown San Antonio. Orta’s car struck a utility pole and burned, while his passengers survived. The AP also reported that family attorneys said Orta had prepared a statement about the earlier South Padre Island shooting before his death.
Orta’s Account And The South Padre Island Shooting
Newsweek obtained video, reports and written statements that identified Orta as the only known civilian witness to the March 15, 2025, killing of 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez by an ICE Homeland Security Investigations agent. “It didn't floor it or nothing. It was just slowly moving, and they started shooting,” Orta told investigators, according to those materials. Attorneys said he planned to sign a sworn affidavit that contradicted the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the shooting before he died.
Investigations, Grand Jury And Congressional Scrutiny
A Cameron County grand jury recently declined to indict the agent involved in Martinez’s shooting, as reported by The Texas Tribune. Local lawmakers have also asked the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general to investigate the case, according to the San Antonio Express-News, while state investigators and the Texas Rangers continue their own examinations of the shooting.
What The Ruling Means
The medical examiner’s decision settles one narrow question about how Orta died, but it leaves untouched the larger question of why Martinez was shot on South Padre Island. Family attorneys say the accidental ruling only sharpens their calls for full disclosure of evidence and a transparent account from federal and state agencies.
