Patty Murray calls DHS's account of the Martinez shooting dishonest
Patty MurrayU.S. senator for Washington
Sen. Patty Murray said in a March 2026 video that body-camera footage contradicts DHS's account that Marimar Martinez rammed Border Patrol agents, and called the department's account of the shooting dishonest.
“The dishonesty here is shocking—and honestly, scary.”
Official statement
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
Official statement
About this source
Official transcript with Murray's case-specific criticisms.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
In a video released March 10, 2026, Murray said body-camera footage from inside the Border Patrol vehicle makes it "pretty clear" that "the agent who shot Martinez, is the one doing the ramming," contradicting DHS's account that Martinez rammed agents.
After the quotation
She added that Martinez, a U.S. citizen, "is lucky to be alive," and went on to the shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minnesota.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Agent Charles Exum's gunfire at Marimar Martinez. Murray says body-camera footage shows the agent who shot Martinez doing the ramming and calls DHS's account dishonest, which rejects the justification for the shooting. The closest competing label is Challenged characterization, but she goes beyond disputing DHS's description to say the agent caused the collision.
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More from this case
Read the full caseParente says the shooting cannot be justified after presenting a reconstruction
“In what world could you justify that?”Read statement
Martinez 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
Christopher Parente says reconstruction contradicts Exum's account
“He was behind it and shot her through the back”Read statement
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- Patty Murray calls DHS's account of the Martinez shooting dishonest
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The Dispute Index. "Patty Murray calls DHS's account of the Martinez shooting dishonest". First published: 2026-10-07. Last updated: 2026-10-07. https://disputeindex.com/events/5167-sen-patty-murray-said-in-a-march-2026