Shortly after a Border Patrol agent shot a 30-year-old Chicago woman five times, Gregory Bovino, who was leading the federal government’s immigration raids across the city, reached out to offer his congratulations.

“In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much yet left to do!!” he wrote to the agent.

The email is part of a trove of evidence relating to the Oct. 4 shooting of Marimar Martinez, a teacher’s assistant and U.S. citizen, that was released by federal prosecutors Tuesday night. The material was assembled when the government was pursuing a now-defunct criminal case against Martinez, alleging that she used her car to assault federal agents and prevent them from enforcing immigration laws in Chicago amid widespread protests.

Prosecutors dropped the charges after lawyers for Martinez, who survived the shooting, raised concerns about the preservation of evidence.

Her lawyers then asked the judge to release evidence gathered during the criminal case, arguing that because the government had branded her a “domestic terrorist,” Martinez deserved a chance to clear her name.

Coming after a string of shootings by federal agents, including the killings of two protesters in Minnesota, the materials offer a moment-by-moment window into the violence that has accompanied President Donald Trump’s attempt to forcibly overhaul immigration enforcement in U.S. cities.

‘She Was Trying to Run Me Over’

The email from Bovino is among a series of text messages sent by Charles Exum, the agent who shot Martinez, and other federal agents. Exum appears to have taken a screenshot of Bovino’s email and texted it to a family member.

On the day of the shooting, Exum wrote in a text message that “she was trying to run me over.” “I did what I had to do to save my life,” he later testified, also telling the court that “the group of agents that I’m friends with” texted as a part of “relieving stress.” The newly released texts show Exum’s messages quickly became filled with backslapping and boasts after the shooting. In one text, a colleague called him “a legend among agents.”

“Damn!!” wrote another. “I leave for a few weeks and it turns into Iraq.”

Bovino and spokespeople for the Department of Homeland Security and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening.

In the evidence released Tuesday are three videos that show the interior of Exum’s SUV in the moments leading up to the collision with Martinez, who was following his vehicle. She has said she was honking her horn and shouting “La migra,” the Spanish term for immigration authorities. In a statement on the day of the shooting, a DHS spokesperson said Martinez had “rammed” federal agents. In court, Exum said the collision was “side to side.”

One of the videos shows that agents inside the SUV had their weapons drawn before the collision. “It’s time to get aggressive,” one can be heard saying. “Because they’re trying to box us in.”

“We’re gonna make contact and we’re boxed in,” said another.

Video Captures Sound of Gunshots

A few seconds later, the video shows Exum turning the steering wheel sharply to the left. The vehicle appears to shake from an impact and stop. Exum jumps out, and the video captures the sound of five gunshots.

In a statement, Martinez’s attorney, Christopher V. Parente, criticized federal prosecutors for their unannounced release of the material, calling it a “misguided attempt to take the sting out of just how damaging it is to the government.” In court, Parente has repeatedly called on the administration to retract its characterization of his client as a “domestic terrorist,” a label that officials have also applied to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two protesters killed by federal agents in Minnesota.

In another text message, Exum appears to claim that Bovino passed along kudos from the highest levels of the executive branch.

“Are they supportive?” asked another member of the group text thread.

“Big time,” Exum responded. “Everyone has been including Chief Bovino, Chief Banks, Sec Noem and El Jefe himself… according to Bovino.”

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This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

By Mattathias Schwartz
c. 2026 The New York Times Company