In October 2025, a Chicago woman named Marimar Martinez was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent. The agent claimed that Martinez smashed her car into his vehicle and tried to run him over.
The woman, however, argued that the officer, Charles Exum, intentionally rammed into her car. Body camera footage from the incident has now been released to the public, revealing who was actually at fault.
The shooting took place on South Kedzie Avenue in Chicago on October 4, when Martinez noticed the Border Patrol vehicle and started yelling “La Migra!” from her car to alert her friends and neighbors about the immigration crackdown.
Marimar Martinez was intentionally attacked by border patrol agents.
Body cam footage shows agents swerved into her intentionally, then got out and immediately opened fire.
They tried to murder her, then slander her by lying about the events.
Here’s the proof. They want blood. pic.twitter.com/KTwuK0CYwq
— sandía sammy 🔻 (@BirdAppSam) February 12, 2026
Camera footage reveals that the agents were agitated by Martinez. One of them stated, “It’s time to get aggressive.. We’re going to make contact.” Another agent stared at Martinez, whose car was now driving parallel to the agents.
Following this, Exum steered his wheel to the left and hit Martinez’s car. He then got out with his handgun. Five gunshots were then fired, as heard in the video. Although Martinez sustained injuries, she survived.
She drove her car for a mile to get to safety and called the emergency services, who took her to the hospital. Meanwhile, the agents celebrated as Exum bragged about his the incident in a group chat.
Text messages released to the public expose that Exum wrote, “I fired five rounds and she had seven holes. Put that in your book, boys.” The agents came up with the narrative that Martinez was a domestic terrorist who tried to harm them.
They also claimed that Exum shot her in self-defense, the same explanation used after the deaths of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal officers.
Exum, however, was lauded by his seniors, as Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino emailed him that he should extend his retirement age.
One of his text messages shows that he had boasted about having the support of Bovino, Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Meanwhile, Martinez was taken into FBI custody even as her wounds were not yet healed. She was charged with assaulting federal officers, but the case was dropped after federal prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss it in November 2025.
I’m here at a press conference where evidence will be released in the case of Marimar Martinez – the woman shot 5 times by border patrol. Some of the text messages have been blown up here for a backdrop. @BlockClubCHI pic.twitter.com/f6LeF2vRzn
— Melody Mercado (@melodymercadotv) February 11, 2026
Martinez requested that the court make the evidence in the case public so that no one could spread false narratives about her. Martinez is a teacher by profession who was headed to a church to donate clothes when the incident occurred.
Recalling the trauma, she said in an official statement to Congress, “The mental scars will always be there as a reminder of the time my own government attempted to execute me, and when they failed, they chose to vilify me.” Martinez’s attorneys have now filed a civil lawsuit against Exum.
After the release of the video, Exum has been placed on administrative leave. A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced the decision on February 11, saying, “CBP is committed to the highest standards of conduct, transparency and accountability.”
