A federal immigration agent is under scrutiny after court testimony revealed text messages in which he boasted about shooting a Chicago woman during an October 4 confrontation.
Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum sent fellow agents several messages after Marimar Martinez was injured during the incident.
One message read: “I have a MOF amendment to add to my story. I fired five rounds, and she had seven holes. Put that in your book, boys.”
Highlights
- A Border Patrol agent boasted via text about shooting Marimar Martinez five times, saying she had seven bullet holes.
- Martinez was hospitalized and charged with assaulting a federal officer; she denies sideswiping the agent's vehicle.
- Judge expressed concern that the government's handling of the agent’s SUV evidence differed from Martinez’s vehicle.
- The Department of Homeland Security alleged Martinez was armed, but the gun was found later and legally owned.
A federal immigration agent boasted about shooting a Chicago woman five times
Image credits: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Later, he sent them a news article from The Guardian and said, “Read it. 5 shots, seven holes.”
Then a day after the incident, Exum sent another message that read, “Cool. I'm up for another round of "f*** around and find out,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Martinez was hospitalized and later taken into FBI custody.
Defense attorney Christopher Parente confronted Exum with the text messages in court. Exum’s response was: “I’m a firearms instructor, and I take pride in my shooting skills.”
The hearing before U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis focused on a defense motion questioning how Exum handled his Chevrolet Tahoe after it was involved in a crash with two individuals accused of trailing federal agents through Chicago’s Southwest Side.
Exum testified that his government-issued vehicle had some scratches, a black scuff mark on the driver’s door, a dent with another mark above the gas cap, and damage to the rear.
He said the vehicle was “hit” or sideswiped on both sides, rather than “rammed,” contradicting an earlier statement from the Department of Homeland Security.
"I fired five rounds, and she had seven holes. Put that in your book, boys," the agent messaged his colleagues
Image credits: Federal complaint
The agent maintained that he used his weapon in self-defense against Martinez, 30, and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, 21, who prosecutors say followed and boxed in his vehicle before the crash.
Martinez was struck by gunfire seven times during the encounter.
Martinez and Ruiz have been charged with assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. Both have pleaded not guilty, and Martinez claims that it was the agent who sideswiped her.
Exum said the FBI took photos and paint samples from his Chevrolet Tahoe, first at the scene and later at an FBI office for further evidence processing, before releasing it back to him. He then drove it more than 1,000 miles back to his duty station in Maine over three days.
Martinez’s attorney argued that the government destroyed evidence when it allowed Exum to drive the vehicle away. When the SUV later appeared with scuff marks buffed out, Martinez’s lawyers said the change could have compromised the investigation.
Exum insisted that he did not order a cleaning and claimed that a supervisor in Maine had authorized it.
U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis expressed concern that the government treated the agent’s vehicle differently from those belonging to Martinez and Ruiz, which remain in FBI custody.
The incident took place when the agent's vehicle clashed with that of two individuals accused of trailing him
Image credits: Kevauto/Wikimedia Commons
“What gives me great pause is the fact that the cars have been treated differently,” Alexakis said.
The Department of Homeland Security said Martinez was armed with a semi-automatic handgun and “had a history of doxxing federal agents.”
The government alleged that the officers were “ambushed by domestic terrorists.”
However, the charges against Martinez made no mention of the gun, and prosecutors also acknowledged in court that the weapon was found later in her purse and was legally owned.
It was not displayed or possessed by Martinez during the confrontation.
A federal trial for Martinez is scheduled for February 2026.
Exum, a 23-year veteran of the Border Patrol, originally from Maine, was stationed on a temporary duty assignment for “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago. His assignment began in early September and was scheduled to end in October.
Image credits: Scott Olson/Getty Images
The Trump administration has been detaining illegal immigrants across Chicago under the operation.
On Thursday, a federal judge entered an injunction implementing use-of-force limitations on federal agents. The ruling came after agents were found to be using excessively forceful tactics like tear gas and pepper balls.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis said: “I see little reason for the use of force that the federal agents are currently using. I don’t find the defendants' version of events credible.”
Ellis called out agents on several occasions for instances like lying about the danger protestors posed to them.