It’s time to get aggressive – a US border patrol agent said in a bodycam video last year during an immigration crackdown in Chicago before his colleague rushed out of the vehicle and shot at a woman multiple times. Later, the agent who fired at the woman, bragged about his markmanship to his colleagues in a group chat, saying he punched seven holes in five shots. The footage, texts, emails and videos were released by US federal prosecutors in the case of 31-year-old Marimar Martinez, a US citizen, who was accused by the Homeland Department of ambushing the agents and ramming them with her car. However, videos, texts and emails released by the US Attorney’s Office indicated the border agents could have struck her car themselves.
The incident happened on October 4 last year when Martinez, a Montessori school teacher, followed the border agents and honked her car to warn residents of the neighbourhood of their presence. “It’s time to get aggressive…We’re going to make contact,” an agent, who was wearing his bodycam, said.
After a collision seconds later, the driver of the agents’ vehicle, Charles Exum, got out of the car and fired as many as five shots at Martinez. She drove off and was taken to a local hospital by an ambulance. The Homeland Department said the agent had fired in “self defence”.
Martinez was indicted on charges of impeding a federal officer and the Homeland labelled her a “domestic terrorist”. Though the charges were dropped in November, the label continues to stay online.
The latest videos, texts and emails regarding the case were released after a US district judge, Georgia Alexakis, lifted a protective order and said the government expressed zero concern about tarnishing of Martinez’s reputation.
Among the released text messages, a group chat revealed Exum’s colleagues congratulating him for the good work and offering to buy him beers. He was also revealed to brag about his shooting skills in the chat. “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book, boys,” he wrote.
Exum was praised for his good work by his boss at the time, border patrol chief Gregory Bovino, who was demoted from his post after federal agents killed VA nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis despite him posing no threat to them. A federal judge concluded that Bovino had lied to her about being hit by a rock during protests in the city.
Bovino also urged Exum to hold off his retirement plan, saying he had “much left to do”.
Marimar Martinez’s lawyer, Christopher Parente, said that she has planned to file a civil lawsuit in the matter.
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