SAN ANTONIO – An immigrant lacking legal status who allegedly shot a veteran working security at a West Side bar has officially been indicted on four different charges, Bexar County court records show.
Wilmer Vladimir Ruiz-Ortega is charged with aggravated assault with weapon brain injury/paralysis, aggravated assault against a security officer, aggravated assault causes serious bodily injury and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, records indicate.
He’s also charged with possession of a firearm by an undocumented immigrant, which is a federal charge, according to records.
Jimmy Friesenhahn, 44, was working as a security guard at a West Side bar on May 4, 2025, when he attempted to remove Ruiz-Ortega from the premises.
San Antonio police said Friesenhahn found out that Ruiz-Ortega was armed with a gun, which prompted the confrontation.
A struggle ensued, during which Ruiz-Ortega allegedly shot Friesenhahn twice in the chest — shots that were stopped by a bulletproof vest — and once in the neck, SAPD said. The latter shot left Friesenhahn paralyzed.
Friesehahn, a Marine and Army veteran, has since been recovering, but his family in June told KSAT he has had a lot of setbacks.
Jimmy Friesehahn, 44, a veteran was left paralyzed after being shot by undocumented immigrant while working security. (Copyright 2025 by KSAT – All rights reserved.)
A review of court records by KSAT revealed that Ruiz-Ortega was previously arrested in Bexar County, including in 2020 for driving while intoxicated (DWI), which was later downgraded to a misdemeanor offense. He also failed to appear in court multiple times and had his deferred adjudication revoked in 2024.
In response to questions from KSAT, the Bexar County District Attorney’s Office issued a statement explaining that while Ruiz-Ortega was arrested for DWI in 2020, the law criminalizing illegal entry from a foreign nation did not go into effect until March 2024. This means prosecutors were not authorized to pursue that charge earlier.
KSAT asked why federal authorities weren’t notified or why an illegal entry charge wasn’t added when Ruiz-Ortega was rearrested in November 2024. The district attorney’s office replied, saying that the arresting agency would have to be the one to notify authorities about citizenship status.
Ruiz-Ortega has been assigned to the 187th District Court. A first court setting has yet to be scheduled.
If found guilty of the charges, he faces up to life in prison.
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