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The U.S. Customs and Border Protection cause who changeable a Chicago pistillate 5 times past autumn has been placed connected administrative leave, arsenic video footage and different grounds from the incidental supply caller penetration connected what happened the moments earlier and aft Marimar Martinez was shot.
Newly released video grounds and substance messages from the lawsuit revealed the cause who changeable Martinez joked astir it afterward, and was praised by some chap agents and Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino.
Lawyers for Martinez person accused the Trump medication of mishandling the probe and spreading lies astir the shooting. Martinez has been warring for the merchandise of cardinal grounds successful her case, saying, aft the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by national agents successful Minneapolis, the nationalist needs to spot what happened to her.
A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson confirmed connected Wednesday that Agent Charles Exum, who changeable Martinez, has been placed connected administrative leave. However, it was not instantly wide erstwhile Exum was placed connected leave. In the past 5 months, national officials person not said Exum was astatine immoderate constituent placed connected administrative leave.
"CBP is committed to the highest standards of conduct, transparency, and accountability. All important use-of-force incidents are thoroughly investigated, reviewed, and presented to the National Use of Force Review Board (NUFRB), an autarkic assemblage comprised of elder CBP officials and representatives from DHS and DOJ, including the DOJ Civil Rights Division," a CBP spokesperson said.
Martinez, 30, was changeable connected Oct. 4, 2025, arsenic the U.S. Department of Homeland Security drastically accrued assertive migration enforcement successful the Chicago country nether the enactment of erstwhile CBP Commander Gregory Bovino. At the time, DHS claimed Martinez chased national agents and rammed her car into an agent's car during an anti-ICE protestation adjacent Pershing Road and Kedzie Avenue. Martinez's attorneys person said she was driving alongside the Border Patrol agents Nearly 2 months later, federal prosecutors dropped battle charges that had been filed against her. The authorities aboriginal admitted successful tribunal that Martinez wasn't "ramming" their car astatine all.
Martinez's attorneys are pursuing a ailment nether a instrumentality that permits individuals to writer national agencies. They outlined instances of DHS lying astir Martinez aft the shooting, including labeling her a "domestic terrorist" and accusing her of having a past of "doxxing national agents." The Montessori schoolhouse adjunct has nary transgression grounds and prosecutors haven't brought grounds successful either claim.
On Tuesday evening, bodycam footage of the moments surrounding Martinez's shooting, on with different grounds from the case, was released aft a judge ruled they could beryllium made public.
The 3 videos, each betwixt 15 and 20 minutes long, amusement the country earlier and aft the Oct. 4 shooting, overmuch of it lining up with what Martinez's lawyer has maintained each along.
In 1 of the videos, the agents wrong their conveyance are heard saying "we are boxed in" earlier their conveyance collided with different vehicle.
"It's clip to get assertive and get the f*** out," Agent Charles Exum, who is driving the car, tin beryllium heard saying. "They're trying to container america in. We're boxed in."
But surveillance video released shows the aforesaid infinitesimal wherever Agent Exum's car is stopped, with nary 1 successful beforehand of him, contradicting the assertion of being boxed in.
One space of 1 bodycam video shows Exum pulling his steering instrumentality to the near and into Martinez's car. That changeable contradicts statements the cause made to the FBI instantly aft the shooting, claiming Martinez ran into them.
Martinez's lawyer said she began pursuing the agents successful her ain car for astir 15 minutes. She was honking her horn to alert the assemblage of the beingness of national agents erstwhile her lawyer said the cause deliberately swerved his SUV into her car.
In the bodycam video, Exum gets retired of the car. He shoots 5 times arsenic Martinez drives by. The existent shooting did not look to beryllium captured connected video; it had been stated successful court earlier that his camera was not turned connected during the incident.
While the video does not amusement the shooting from the Exum's vantage point, it does seizure him recounting his experience.
"We did not get changeable at. We did the shooting," Exum said.
Exum had besides accused Martinez of ramming his car, but aboriginal admitted that didn't hap successful an interrogation with Martinez's attorney.
"I asked him, 'Well, we some hold that determination was nary ramming here. Is that just to say?' And Agent Exum said, 'By my definition, yes, sir,'" said lawyer Chris Parente.
Also released were images of the agent's conveyance and substance messages by Exum. In the contiguous aftermath, helium texted chap officers "s*** happens." He besides sent a substance saying, "I person a MOF amendment to adhd to my story. I fired 5 circular and she had 7 holes. Put that successful your publication boys." The responding connection read, "good shootin, lol." He past replies, "gracias senor."
In an email, Bovino tells Exum helium has "much yet near to do" pursuing his "excellent service." That email is time-stamped a fewer hours aft the shooting, portion Martinez was inactive successful the infirmary recovering from aggregate gunshot wounds, she aboriginal revealed connected CBS' 60 Minutes.
Parente said they anticipation the merchandise of each this evidence, and yet more, volition spur elected officials to find a mode to clasp national agents accountable for their actions and possibly "shift behavior."
The authorities unsuccessfully fought the merchandise of the documents, including an email from Bovino, who led enforcement operations nationwide earlier helium returned to his erstwhile assemblage station successful California past month.
Martinez and her attorneys besides program to record a caller national suit asking for tens of millions of dollars successful damages. Wednesday they filed a ailment to get that process started. The authorities volition person six months to respond earlier an authoritative suit tin beryllium filed.
Parente said he's hopeful that the merchandise of grounds from Martinez's lawsuit helps person much lawmakers to enactment large reforms successful national migration enforcement.
"Marimar was successful D.C., I was fortunate to spell with her past week, and Senator Duckworth and others asked precise circumstantial questions, and seemed to really beryllium funny successful getting down this and trying to displacement behavior," Parente said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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