The Chicago woman who was shot five times by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent last October has filed a lawsuit against the agent who shot her, and the federal government.
Marimar Martinez was flanked by lawyers, and surrounded by reporters from all over the country during a news conference at 161 North Clark Street on Wednesday afternoon as the lawsuit, which will be seeking tens of millions of dollars, was announced.
Homeland Security says Marimar Martinez, who's a Montessori school teacher born and raised in Chicago, was shot because she rammed into federal agents near 39th and Kedzie, on October 4th.
But Martinez's lawyers say all the evidence, including video, indicates that's not what happened.
Attorney Chris Parente says federal investigators have labeled Martinez a "domestic terrorist," saying "to have your own government call you something as hurtful, and as harmful as a domestic terrorist when you know you're not, is just unacceptable and it's why Marimar instructed her team to continue to fight, to continue to push back against the U.S. Attorney's Office, to continue push back against (Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem."
Parente also says federal agent Charles Exum, who shot her, received praise after the shooting, before it was even fully investigated, and also referenced the shooting deaths by ICE agents of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and
Silverio Villegas González in northwest suburban Franklin Park, saying, "agents are encouraged, celebrated, and rewarded for shooting protesters, right? You have seen that in this case. By surviving in a way that Ms. Good, and Mr. Pretti could not, or Mr. Gonzalez could not, Marimar was able to get discovery in this case that shows you exactly how this agency handles a shooting in the immediate aftermath, and it is scary."
Assault charges against Martinez, who did not speak at Wednesday's news conference, have been dropped, but she wants an apology from the Trump administration, and her lawsuit will be seeking tens of millions of dollars, though the exact amount was not specified.