Chicago Woman Sues After Being Shot by Immigration Officer

WHO:

ABC News - Marimar Martinez, an American citizen and teaching aide at a Montessori school.

NBC News - Charles Exum, a Customs and Border Protection agent involved in the shooting.

NBC News - Michael Gallagher, attorney representing Martinez.

NBC News - Christopher Parente, also an attorney for Martinez.

NBC News - Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ).

WHAT:

ABC News - Martinez filed a lawsuit against the federal government alleging the agent lied about the shooting.

NBC News - Martinez was shot five times by Exum during an immigration enforcement operation.

NBC News - The lawsuit alleges negligence, battery, assault, intentional affliction, emotional distress, false arrests, false imprisonment, and malicious prosecution.

NBC News - The lawsuit was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

NBC News - Charges against Martinez and another person at the scene were dropped after federal prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss.

WHERE:

ABC News - The shooting occurred in Chicago.

NBC News - The incident took place during Operation Midway Blitz, a mass immigration enforcement surge in Chicago.

WHEN:

NBC News - The shooting occurred in October 2025.

NBC News - The lawsuit was filed on a Monday, one year after the shooting.

WHY:

NBC News - The lawsuit claims new evidence shows Exum was not in danger for his life during the shooting.

NBC News - The attorneys urged the DOJ and local prosecutors to file criminal charges against Exum.

HOW:

NBC News - The attorneys presented a visual reconstruction of the shooting scene, showing Exum's position when he fired.

NBC News - Exum was not wearing a body camera at the time of the shooting, although DHS later mandated that all ICE officers and agents in the field wear body cameras.

NBC News - Exum allegedly bragged about the shooting in messages to other officers, stating, “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes.”

(UPDATED October 6, 2026 02:13 UTC)

Marimar Martinez, an American citizen and teaching aide at a Montessori school, has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, claiming that Customs and Border Protection agent Charles Exum lied about the circumstances surrounding her shooting during an immigration enforcement operation in Chicago. The lawsuit, which was filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, alleges serious charges including negligence, battery, and emotional distress, and it comes one year after Martinez was shot five times by Exum, with federal prosecutors later dropping charges against her and another individual at the scene. Her attorneys have presented new evidence suggesting Exum was not in danger during the incident, and they are urging the Department of Justice to pursue criminal charges against him, despite Exum's lack of a body camera at the time and his alleged bragging about the shooting to fellow officers.