Parente says the shooting cannot be justified after presenting a reconstruction
Christopher ParenteAttorney representing Marimar Martinez
Christopher Parente criticized Exum's shooting at the October 5 press conference. Discussing his legal team's reconstruction, he said the gunfire could not be justified and accused agents of giving false accounts to defend it.
“In what world could you justify that?”
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by Christopher Parente in this case
- Christopher Parente challenges DHS’s accountEarlier: Challenged the characterization
- Christopher Parente condemns federal inaction on the Exum shootingEarlier: Condemned
- Christopher Parente says reconstruction contradicts Exum's accountSame day: Challenged the characterization
Where this statement fits
Was Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum justified in shooting Marimar Martinez?
On October 4, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum fired five rounds at Marimar Martinez’s vehicle during a confrontation involving the agents’ SUV and two civilian vehicles in Chicago’s Brighton Park neighborhood. A federal complaint alleged that Martinez and another driver struck and boxed in the agents’ vehicle and that Martinez then drove toward Exum. Martinez said Exum steered into her vehicle and shot her as she drove past or away. She sustained seven gunshot wounds. Federal prosecutors later dismissed the charges against Martinez with prejudice. An Illinois Accountability Commission review concluded that available video, photographs and witness evidence indicated Martinez was stationary or driving away and found reasonable cause to investigate a shooting without apparent justification. No publicly identified recording continuously captures the collision and gunfire, and no court has adjudicated whether Exum’s use of force was lawful. The dispute is whether Martinez posed an imminent threat when Exum fired.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
WTTW reports the October 5 press conference announcing Martinez's federal lawsuit. Parente criticizes Exum's shooting and alleges that agents gave false accounts of the encounter. The article describes a reconstruction commissioned by Martinez's attorneys and says her local police complaint was assigned to a detective.
Reporting
About this source
AP reports remarks made at Martinez's October 5 press conference and a CBP statement supplied in response to her lawsuit. CBP said Exum had been placed on administrative leave and described its use-of-force review process. The report does not date the original leave decision. Parente's allegations about the shooting and Exum's statements remain attributed to Martinez's lawyer.
Before the quotation
WTTW reports that Martinez's attorneys commissioned a reconstruction using bullet holes in her vehicle. Parente alleged that Exum's account of firing through the windshield was contradicted by shots entering from the vehicle's rear.
After the quotation
WTTW quotes Parente saying the shooting could not be justified and accusing agents of lying to defend it. AP independently reports his criticism of firing through the rear passenger window and his allegation that Exum made three false statements to the FBI.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Parente expressly rejects justification for Exum's gunfire. His rhetorical question and surrounding remarks criticize the shooting itself, beyond disputing the agents' description of the encounter.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Charles Exum
More from this case
Read the full caseMartinez says the violence should not become normal
“I want to spread awareness, because what's happening is not normal. We shouldn't stay here and normalize what's happening.”Read statement
Pritzker criticizes the Martinez shooting and calls for federal accountability
“Marimar Martinez was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent and branded a “domestic terrorist” by DHS — all for just warning her neighbors and speaking her truth during Operation Midway Blitz. She deserves true justice and accountability from the federal government.”Read statement
Amnesty condemns the shooting
Amnesty International
“unlawful use of lethal force”Read statement
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- Parente says the shooting cannot be justified after presenting a reconstruction
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The Dispute Index. "Parente says the shooting cannot be justified after presenting a reconstruction". First published: 2026-10-06. Last updated: 2026-10-06. https://disputeindex.com/events/4775-christopher-parente-criticized-exum-s-shooting-at-the