Federal Probe into Border Agent Shooting Chicago Woman

A federal criminal investigation is underway into a U.S. Border Patrol agent who shot a Chicago woman five times during an immigration enforcement operation last October, according to the woman's attorney and court documents.

The incident involved Marimar Martinez, a 31-year-old U.S. citizen and Montessori school teaching assistant, who was driving in a Chicago neighborhood on October 4 when she encountered unmarked Border Patrol vehicles. Martinez told investigators she honked her horn and shouted warnings to alert neighbors of the agents' presence, a common response in areas affected by heightened deportations. As she drove away, her vehicle collided with a Border Patrol SUV driven by Agent Charles Exum. Body camera footage from another agent in Exum's vehicle captured the moments leading up to the crash, showing Exum sharply turning the steering wheel left just before the impact. Exum then exited the SUV and fired five shots at Martinez's car, striking her in the arm, leg, torso and back. She was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Federal prosecutors initially charged Martinez with felony assault on a federal officer, alleging she had rammed the agents' vehicle in an attempt...