20 Nov 2025, Thu

Federal prosecutors ask court to drop indictment of woman shot during deportation blitz in Chicago

(Corrects paragraph 2 to reflect Martinez was indicted on Oct. 9)

By Renee Hickman and Emily Schmall

CHICAGO (Reuters) -Federal prosecutors on Thursday moved to dismiss the indictment of a Chicago woman who was shot repeatedly by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer during an ongoing deportation blitz in the Chicago area this fall, court records show.

Marimar Martinez, 30, was indicted on October 9 on federal charges of impeding a federal officer with a deadly weapon, her car.

The border patrol agent, Charles Exum, shot Martinez five times on October 4, after their cars collided. He later drove his vehicle — a key piece of evidence in the case — to Maine, and had it repaired.

In a court hearing on November 5, Exum boasted about his marksmanship. A status hearing in the case was scheduled to take place later on Thursday.

(Reporting by Renee Hickman and Emily Schmall. Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)