A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agent who shot a Chicago woman five times after an alleged car collision later boasted about his marksmanship in text messages to colleagues, according to court records presented Wednesday.
Agent Charles Exum shot Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen, on October 4 in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighbourhood. Martinez had reportedly been warning others about immigration enforcement activity when her vehicle collided with Exum’s government-issued Chevy Tahoe. Exum claimed the shooting was in self-defense, while Martinez insisted the agent’s vehicle rammed her car first.
Martinez and another man, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, were both charged on October 10 with impeding a federal officer with a deadly weapon—Martinez’s car—and later released on bond.
During the hearing, prosecutors presented Signal chat messages between Exum and other agents. In one, Exum wrote:
“I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys.”
In another message, he shared a news article about the shooting, adding:
“Read it. 5 shots, 7 holes.”
When questioned by defence attorney Christopher Parente about the messages, Exum said, “I’m a firearms instructor and I take pride in my shooting skills.”
Exum also testified that he drove the damaged Tahoe to Maine, where it was later repaired by a CBP mechanic—before defence attorneys could examine it.
According to the government, the FBI took photos and paint samples of the vehicle before releasing it to Exum without special restrictions. Exum said he drove the Tahoe more than 1,000 miles back to Maine between October 8 and 10, where “black marks” on the car were later buffed out.
An email from Exum’s supervisor, Kevin Kellenberger, approved the repairs. However, defence attorneys pointed out that an FBI interview summary indicated Exum himself requested the repairs—contradicting his testimony. Exum claimed the FBI agent who documented the interview “made a mistake.”
When questioned about whether he understood the need to preserve the vehicle as evidence, Exum said he assumed it was no longer required once the FBI released it.
Following the shooting, protesters gathered at the scene in Brighton Park, prompting federal agents to deploy tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The incident occurred amid an immigration enforcement surge in the Chicago area under the Trump administration, known as Operation Midway Blitz, launched in September.
