Evidence Released Shows Agents' Accounts Contradicted in Marimar Martinez Shooting
Lawyers say bodycam video, agent diagrams and texts contradict Agent Charles Exum's account of the Oct. 4 shooting of Marimar Martinez.
Overview
Marimar Martinez's lawyers said Tuesday that body camera footage, agent-drawn diagrams and text messages released by prosecutors contradict Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum's claim that agents were "boxed in" before he fired five shots on Oct. 4, according to court documents.
The materials were made public after U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis ordered parts of the investigative record released, a development Martinez's attorneys said is significant amid scrutiny of Department of Homeland Security conduct in other officer-involved shootings.
Christopher Parente, Martinez's lead attorney, accused Border Patrol leadership of fostering a "culture of violence" and pointed to text exchanges showing praise for Exum from colleagues and an email from Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino offering to delay Exum's retirement, Parente said in a press conference.
Government records show Exum wrote in a group chat, "I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes," and other texts show colleagues calling him a "legend," while the U.S. attorney's office filed and then dismissed assault charges against Martinez on Nov. 20, court filings show.
Martinez's lawyers said they will file a Federal Tort Claims Act complaint with the Justice Department and, if there is no adequate response, will pursue a federal civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court, and Martinez is scheduled to attend the Feb. 24 State of the Union as a guest of Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García, her attorney said.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources frame the story to cast federal agents’ account as suspect by emphasizing attorneys’ allegations, released video and contradictory diagrams. Editorial choices—loaded headline, selective quoting of incriminating texts, and sequencing that foregrounds defense claims—underscore institutional distrust while leaving official perspectives present but comparatively de-emphasized.
Sources (4)
FAQ
The bodycam footage shows Agent Charles Exum turning the steering wheel of his Border Patrol vehicle toward Marimar Martinez's car, causing the collision, contradicting the government's claim that she rammed them. Agent diagrams and other evidence support that agents were not 'boxed in'.
Exum texted in a group chat, 'I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,' and colleagues called him a 'legend' while praising him.
Martinez was charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers after allegedly ramming agents, but the U.S. attorney's office dismissed the charges on November 20, 2025.
Martinez's lawyers plan to file a Federal Tort Claims Act complaint with the Justice Department, and if no adequate response, pursue a federal civil rights lawsuit.
Marimar Martinez is a 30-year-old U.S. citizen and Montessori school teacher from Chicago's Brighton Park who was shot five times, sustaining injuries requiring physical therapy and causing daily pain.
History
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