A newly obtained Texas Rangers investigative report has revealed fresh details about the traffic stop that ended with Galveston police officer Joshua Nino De Guzman fatally shooting 47-year-old Randy Martin, including that Martin was unarmed and struck by seven gunshot wounds. The report also describes drug-related evidence found at the scene, adding new texture to a case that a grand jury recently declined to send to trial.
According to the Texas Rangers report obtained by Houston Public Media, the encounter began as a routine traffic stop in Galveston on May 18, 2026, when Officer Nino De Guzman pulled over Martin. FOX 26 Houston previously reported the stop occurred at approximately 3:49 p.m. after the officer spotted Martin driving a black Lincoln near Avenue L, initiating the stop in the 1700 block of 55th Street near Avenue O. Hoodline covered the shooting as it unfolded in a May report on the confrontation.
What the Officer Told Investigators
Per the Rangers report, Nino De Guzman said Martin had failed to make a complete stop at multiple stop signs and noted that Martin was leaving a location known as a high drug trafficking area. The officer asked Martin for his license and insurance, then asked him to step out of the vehicle, saying he wanted to make sure Martin did not have a firearm. Investigators wrote that the officer said he was in immediate fear based on where Martin had been coming from.
The report states that Martin refused the officer's commands to submit to a pat-down and resisted Nino De Guzman during the encounter. Investigators said the officer believed Martin was reaching for a gun during their struggle and believed Martin was going to kill him. Nino De Guzman fired his weapon eight times, and investigators said the officer described Martin throwing an item from the vehicle and falling onto his back.
Drugs Found at the Scene, but Martin Was Unarmed
The Texas Rangers report states that Martin was unarmed. A passenger in Martin's vehicle told investigators they believed Martin was throwing drugs out of the car during the struggle. At the scene, investigators found a clear plastic container along with multiple pieces of hard, rock-like white substances and crushed, powdery white substances near it, which the report says appeared consistent with crack cocaine. Presumptive drug tests on the substances came back positive, though the report notes those tests did not identify the specific substance.
An autopsy found that Martin sustained seven gunshot wounds. The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office officially classified his cause of death as a homicide resulting from multiple gunshot wounds, a designation that identifies how he died without making any determination of criminal responsibility, according to FOX 26 Houston. A passenger riding in Martin's vehicle during the stop was also transported to the University of Texas Medical Branch emergency department following the shooting, per the same report.
Grand Jury Declines to Indict
On September 8, a Galveston County grand jury returned a no-bill decision, declining to indict Officer Nino De Guzman on criminal charges. Under Chapters 19A and 20A of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, a grand jury of 12 citizens needs at least nine votes to return an indictment, and anything short of that results in a no-bill that dismisses the charges, according to My Dallas Criminal Lawyer. Grand jury secrecy rules mean the panel does not issue a public explanation for its decision.
Despite the no-bill, the Galveston Police Department has kept an open Internal Affairs administrative investigation pending receipt of the complete Texas Rangers report, FOX 26 Houston reports. Department protocol requires that all officer-involved shootings be independently investigated by the Texas Rangers alongside the Galveston County District Attorney's Office. At the time of the shooting, Nino De Guzman had served as a sworn Galveston police officer for two and a half years.
Family Weighs Legal Action as Footage Goes Public
Randy Martin's family is considering legal action against the City of Galveston. On September 24, Paula Martin Lynch stood outside the Galveston County Courthouse alongside attorney Adalberto Ruiz as the family continues to press for answers. The city released unredacted dash-cam and body-cam footage from the shooting in late September after a court ordered its public release following a legal petition filed by the family's attorney, according to Houston Public Media's video coverage.
The case now sits at the intersection of three separate legal tracks that operate independently of one another: the criminal matter closed by the grand jury's no-bill, the administrative review still underway inside the police department, and the civil liability question the Martin family may yet bring before a court. Each process carries its own standard of proof and its own timeline, meaning the public record on Randy Martin's death is likely to keep growing even though the criminal case against the officer has ended.
