Background: News footage at the scene where Michael Martin was found dead in December 2022 (KSAT). Inset (left): Joshua A. Ford (Bexar County Sheriff”s Office). Inset (right): Michael Obryan Martin (Carter-Taylor-Williams Mortuary).

Authorities took 37-year-old Joshua A. Ford into custody on Wednesday, linking him to the December 2022 fatal shooting of Michael Obryan Martin, also 37. Martin’s body was discovered with a gunshot wound inside a San Antonio home. Local CBS affiliate KENS obtained an arrest report indicating that Ford had engaged with police officers immediately after the incident. He purportedly confessed to shooting Martin in the face but claimed it was an act of self-defense.

According to police reports, Martin had recently vacated a property owned by Ford. The confrontation occurred on December 7, 2022, during a final walkthrough inspection conducted by Ford and an unidentified witness. Martin arrived unexpectedly, leading to a confrontation about unpaid rent.

The arrest report suggests Martin had stopped making rent payments two months prior to his eviction by Ford. After Martin vacated the premises, Ford insisted he return to hand over the key. Martin’s unanticipated appearance during the inspection came roughly a month after he had moved out.

According to the arrest report, Martin reportedly stopped paying Ford rent for two months before Ford evicted him. After Martin moved out, Ford told him he had to come back to return his key. Martin showed up during the walk-through inspection, which took place about a month after he moved out.

As the two men argued about the money Martin reportedly owed, they moved throughout the home and ended up in a utility room. Ford told police that Martin purportedly appeared to reach for a weapon, which prompted him to act in self-defense and allegedly shoot Martin twice. One shot hit him in the face.

After the shooting, Ford told police he unloaded the gun and placed it on a kitchen island before he called 911.

Deputies from the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ford on Wednesday and charged him with murder. He is being held in the Bexar County Jail without bond.