A San Antonio jury on Friday convicted an illegal immigrant who had repeatedly been arrested and released before shooting of Marine Corps veteran Jimmy Friesenhahn, who was left paralyzed after trying to disarm him while working security at a sports bar.
Wilmer Vladimir Ortega Ruiz was convicted on multiple aggravated assault charges, including one involving serious bodily injury, and could face up to life in prison.
Friesenhahn, then 44, was working as a security guard at the El Patio Sports Bar in San Antonio in May 2025 when he found a pistol in Ortega Ruiz’s pocket as he was patting him down.
Ortega Ruiz resisted when Friesenhahn tried to confiscate the weapon. During the ensuing scuffle, Ortega Ruiz shot him three times, leaving him paralyzed and in a wheelchair.
A vocal cord injury also left Friesenhahn able to speak only in a whisper.
He has undergone 15 surgeries since the shooting and is expected to need at least five more in the near future, his family told The Daily Wire.
Speaking with The Daily Wire by phone after the verdict, Friesenhahn said he was grateful he had stood up to the gunman.
“There are people that are willing to stand up against criminals and I’m grateful that I was able to be one of those people,” he said during a phone call.
“Semper Fi,” he added, invoking the Marine Corps motto, which translates to “always faithful.”
Credit: Jennie Taer for The Daily Wire
His sister, Becky Borjon, who has cared for her brother since the shooting, said she was satisfied with the verdict but stressed that it would not undo his injuries.
“Even though we’re satisfied with the verdict today, we want people to understand and realize that there will never truly be any justice for Jimmy because he will forever be paralyzed and confined to his chair. So regardless of the outcomes of the verdict of today, that doesn’t change his position and his consequences,” Borjon said.
She also condemned what she described as the “leniency” in the criminal justice system that allows repeat offenders like Ortega Ruiz to roam the streets.
“I hope that this brings new life into our judicial system to recognize the effects of leniency on repeated chronic criminals, illegals easily being lost in the system because of the leniency that our judicial system has shown them,” she added.
Ortega Ruiz snuck across the border illegally without getting caught by authorities when he came to the United States, according to federal law enforcement sources.
In October 2020, authorities in San Antonio arrested the illegal immigrant for a DWI, according to court records. Ultimately, he was released on a personal recognizance bond and never appeared for his later court date.
The Bexar County District Attorney’s Office later downgraded the DWI charge to obstructing a passageway, to which Ortega Ruiz pleaded guilty. He violated his probation and was arrested again in August 2023.
After posting a $1,500 bond, Ortega Ruiz was released and again failed to appear for his later court date.
He was arrested a third time in September 2023. He posted a $1,500 bond and missed another court appearance.
In November 2024, Ortega Ruiz was arrested a fourth time and was sentenced to time served three weeks later.
Ortega Ruiz was also linked to an assault investigation after his girlfriend claimed he physically assaulted her. In that case, he ran from the scene and was never captured for the alleged crime, according to law enforcement sources.
In addition to facing local charges in his latest case, Ortega Ruiz was hit with federal charges for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also lodged a detainer requesting that local authorities transfer him to federal authorities if he is ever released.
Friesenhahn’s family has raised more than $83,000 for his continued care through a GoFundMe.
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