Chicago woman shot 5 times by CBP officer files federal lawsuit

Key Points:

• Marimar Martinez, shot five times by Border Patrol agent Charles Exum in Chicago during the 2022 Operation Midway Blitz, has filed a federal civil lawsuit against the U.S. government alleging the shooting was unjustified and caused severe physical and emotional harm.
• The lawsuit, filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, accuses the government of negligence, battery, assault, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution, with attorneys urging criminal charges against Exum, who was not wearing a body camera at the time.
• New evidence and a visual reconstruction presented by Martinez’s legal team suggest Exum was not in danger and that Martinez was driving away when he shot her, contradicting his initial claims that she was attempting to ram him.
• After the shooting, Martinez and another individual faced but later had charges dropped for allegedly attempting to ram federal officers; the case was dismissed following new video evidence and revelations of Exum boasting about the shooting in private messages.
• The Department of Homeland Security placed Exum on administrative leave and has since mandated body cameras for ICE officers, while the Justice Department declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.