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Border Patrol Agent Who Shot Chicago Woman Bragged About Incident in Newly Released Texts
After a federal agent shot a woman in Chicago multiple times when their cars collided, it was later discovered he bragged about his shooting skills in text messages with other agents.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent Charles Exum shot U.S. citizen Marimar Martinez five times on October 4 after their cars ran into each other. At the time, she was warning other people about immigration enforcement agents in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood.
Martinez claimed Exum’s vehicle rammed her car, while federal prosecutors said the shooting was an act of self-defense, according to NBC News.
Martinez and another man named Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz were indicted on federal charges of impeding a federal officer with a deadly weapon, in this case Martinez’s car, on October 10. NBC News reported that both Martinez and Ruiz were released on bond and they recently attended a hearing on Wednesday, November 5.
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During the hearing, records showed that Exum seemingly bragged about the experience in a group chat made of other agents. “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” he wrote to the group.
Exum also sent a news article about the event to another recipent, saying, “Read it. 5 shots, 7 holes.”
When Martinez’s attorney, Christopher Parente, asked Exum what he meant by those messages, the federal officer responded, “I’m a firearms instructor and I take pride in my shooting skills.”
Another topic touched on during the hearing was regarding Exum’s decision to have his car repaired in Maine before it could be inspected. Martinez filed a motion regarding destruction of evidence, and the government responded by saying the FBI took photos of Exum’s vehicle after the incident.
They then took a government-issued Chevy Tahoe and used paint samples to mark the damaged areas at the FBI’s Chicago office.
The vehicle was then released back to Exum with prosecutors saying he was given no specific instructions about what to do with the car after. Additionally, the government presented a portion of an email from Exum’s supervisor, Kevin Kellenberger, stating that he had permission to get the repairs.
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During a cross-examination, Parente noted that documentation from an FBI interview with Exum contradicted the agent’s claims that he asked for the repairs.
Exum was given the opportunity to explain the disparities, claiming the agent who interviewed him had “made a mistake.”
The October collision took place amid an ongoing immigration enforcement surge in the Chicago area, which was directed by President Donald Trump’s administration. The surge first started in September with the administration coining the project “Operation Midway Blitz.”
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