Court Hearing Reveals Border Agent Boasted After Shooting Woman in Chicago: 'Five Shots, Seven Holes'

A U.S. Border Patrol agent who shot a woman during a confrontation in Chicago last month appeared to boast about the incident in text messages to friends and colleagues, telling them he fired "five shots" and "she had seven holes," according to testimony revealed in federal court Wednesday.

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum confirmed under questioning that he sent multiple messages referencing the shooting, including one that read, "Read it. Five shots, seven holes," attached to a news article from The Guardian about the case. In another message, he wrote, "I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book, boys."

Defending his remarks, Exum told the court: "I'm a firearms instructor, and I take pride in my shooting skills," as ABC News reports.

Defense attorney Chris Parente pressed Exum on whether he was bragging about shooting the woman, Marimar Martinez, who survived. "So you're bragging that you shot her five times and got seven holes?" Parente asked. Exum replied, "I'm just saying five shots, seven holes." He testified the messages were sent as a way of "relieving stress."

Another message displayed in court, sent the day after the shooting, read: "Cool. I'm up for another round of 'f--- around and find out.'" Exum claimed the comment meant "illegal actions have legal consequences."

The comments surfaced during a hearing about whether evidence may have been compromised when Exum's government vehicle, which collided with Martinez's car immediately before the shooting, was released to him and later cleaned by a Customs and Border Protection mechanic.

Exum testified he drove the SUV back to Maine after the FBI processed it, believing it had "no remaining evidentiary value." Defense counsel argued the release may have destroyed favorable evidence.

Exum was identified publicly for the first time Wednesday as the agent who shot Martinez on Oct. 4 in Chicago's Brighton Park neighborhood, sparking protests and the deployment of tear gas by federal agents. Martinez and another man, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, have pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting a federal officer. Prosecutors say Martinez rammed Exum's vehicle and drove toward him before he fired five rounds. The defense disputes that account and argues the agents initiated the collision.

According to the aforementioned Guardian article cited in court, Martinez's attorney alleges body-camera footage captures an officer saying, "Do something, bitch," before opening fire. The footage has not been released.

U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis approved a request to hear testimony from additional FBI personnel who authorized the vehicle's release. A trial is set for February.