Kristi Noem says agents fired in self-defense
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security
“Our agents had to protect themselves and shots were fired and an individual ended up in the hospital that was attacking these officers.”
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Contemporaneous ABC News report quoting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s explanation of why agents fired during the October 4 encounter.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Noem described a confrontation in which she said vehicles cornered and threatened Border Patrol agents.
After the quotation
DHS identified Martinez as the injured driver and continued to characterize the encounter as an ambush.
How this statement is classified
Case context: Was Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum justified in shooting Marimar Martinez?
The label describes this statement’s response within the context above.
Why this label?
This explicitly presents the shooting as a defensive response to an attack.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Marimar Martinez
Was Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum justified in shooting Marimar Martinez?
Explore the case context, sources and public responses.
More from this case
Read the full case“Whether it be the apartment raids in South Shore, the shooting of Marimar Martinez in Brighton Park, or the murder of Silverio Villegas González, it’s been proven that ICE does NOT keep us safe - they are designed to intimidate communities of color and deport as many people as possible.”Read statement
Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus
“The findings of the Illinois Accountability Commission are clear: a documented pattern of ICE, Border Patrol and federal agents making discriminatory arrests based on race and ethnicity, acting recklessly, endangering the lives of community members and retaliating against rapid responders and community members – not only in the case of Villegas González, but also in the shooting of Marimar Martinez.”Read statement
Illinois Accountability Commission
“Agent Charles Exum shot an unarmed civilian without apparent justification.”Read statement