Ramiro Martinez
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Ramiro "Ray" Martinez (born 1937 in Kent County, Texas) and Houston McCoy are the two Austin Police Department officers credited with killing sniper Charles Whitman at the University of Texas at Austin on August 1, 1966.
Martinez attended Rotan High School in Rotan, Texas, graduating in 1956. He enrolled in the University of Texas at Austin, but dropped out after one semester due to financial difficulties. He later joined the United States Army and served three years as a combat medic. After his discharge from the Army, Martinez joined the Austin Police Department in 1960, graduating from the police academy in 1961.
Martinez was off duty on August 1, 1966 when the news of the Texas Tower sniper shooting aired on television. Martinez reported for duty and was told to assist with traffic control. Arriving on the scene, Martinez proceeded to the Tower, where later he and Officer McCoy shot sniper Charles Whitman dead. TIME reported on August 12, 1966 that Martinez had hit Whitman with all six of his pistol shots.[1]
In 1976, Ramiro Martinez sued the producers of the made-for-TV film The Deadly Tower for negative and racist depictions of him and his wife. He received an undisclosed out-of-court settlement.[2]
Martinez left the Austin Police Department around 1968 to briefly run a restaurant in downtown Austin. He later joined the Texas Department of Public Safety in 1969 as a narcotics agent. He served in that role for four years before joining the Texas Rangers. Martinez was part of the task force that eventually brought about the indictment of George Parr, the so-called "Duke of Duval County". After retiring from the Rangers in 1991, he worked as a private investigator and later served four years as a Justice of the Peace for Precinct 2, Comal County.
Martinez published his memoirs, They Call Me Ranger Ray, in 2005. The book discusses his actions during the Tower incident and his experiences as a Texas Ranger.[3]
The City of Austin proclaimed August 1, 2006 Ramiro Martinez Day.[4]
Martinez now resides in New Braunfels, Texas.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Madman in the Tower", TIME, August 12, 1966. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.
- ^ Cox, Mike. "Lawman to get cash in settlement of Whitman film suit", Austin-American Statesman, 16 March 1978.
- ^ "Hero Talks About U.T. Shooting Spree", WOAI.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-26.
- ^ Egan, Andrew. "A Texas hero has his day", The Daily Texan, July 28, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.
