CHICAGO — Text messages sent by a Border Patrol agent appear to show he bragged to colleagues about his shooting skills after wounding a woman charged with assaulting a federal officer in Chicago.
Agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez five times on Oct. 4 after authorities say she and another driver rammed vehicles into an SUV Exum was driving on the city’s Southwest Side.
The messages were presented as evidence in federal court Wednesday. Martinez, a 30-year-old U.S. citizen, and Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, 21, are charged with assault on a federal officer using a deadly or dangerous weapon.
In the text, agent Exum wrote that he had “an amendment to add to” his story. “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” the text read.
The shooting occurred as President Donald Trump’s escalation of federal law enforcement continued in cities across the U.S.
On Oct. 5, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged the shooting, saying in a statement that agents “were rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars.” When agents exited their vehicle, “a suspect tried to run them over, forcing the officers to fire defensively,” the statement continued.
No officers were seriously injured.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said the woman shot was armed with a semiautomatic weapon. Martinez was treated at a hospital and released before being taken into FBI custody.
When questioned Wednesday by Chris Parente, an attorney for Martinez, Exum testified that he’s a firearms instructor “and I take pride in my shooting skills,” the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Defense attorneys also are concerned about the destruction of evidence after the SUV driven by Exum was later driven from Chicago to the agent’s station in Maine and parked in a garage, Exum said.
The SUV suffered scratches, dents and scuff marks when it was sideswiped, the agent said. Photos were taken of the damage. The scuff marks had been buffed in Maine, Exum said.
Martinez alleges that the Border Patrol vehicle swerved and sideswiped her vehicle, according to court documents.
Federal immigration agents in the Chicago area have been accused of unnecessary force, including the use of pepper balls, tear gas and other tactics against people protesting federal immigration policies and the detention of immigrants.
The aggressive tactics have prompted resident backlash and lawsuits.
Another federal judge said Thursday she will order federal agents in Chicago to restrict using force against peaceful protesters and news media outlets, saying current practices violate their constitutional rights.
U.S. District Judge Sara Ellis’s ruling, which is expected to be appealed by the Trump administration, refines an earlier temporary order that required agents to wear badges and banned them from using certain riot-control techniques, such as tear gas, against peaceful protesters and journalists.
