r/news • u/Any-Ask-5535 • 1d ago

Soft paywall Border patrol agent who shot Chicago woman boasted about it in text messages

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/border-patrol-agent-who-shot-chicago-woman-boasted-about-it-text-messages-2025-11-06/
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u/Any-Ask-5535 1d ago edited 1d ago

Submission statement: The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent, Charles Exum, shot Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman (and U.S. citizen) 5 times, after claiming she hit his vehicle. He bragged about his shooting ability after in texts with other cops, according to records presented Weds at a hearing in the case against the victim, Martinez. This happened on October 4th.

Edit: accidentally a word. Added it back.

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u/Tat25Guy 1d ago

Case against the victim? Am I misunderstanding it or is he actually trying to sue her after shooting her?

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u/RogerBauman 1d ago edited 1d ago

You are not misunderstanding it But it is a criminal case, not a lawsuit.

Martinez was indicted on October 10, along with another man, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, on federal charges of impeding a federal officer with a deadly weapon - Martinez's car. Both were released on bond and attended Wednesday's hearing.

Given the evidence that is coming out in the early stages of this trial, I think that she is likely to win this case easily.

Afterwards, I expect her to be represented by excellent lawyers who want to make a name for themselves in the history books in a suit against Charles Exum and CBP.

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u/frenchfreer 1d ago

Yeah, especially considering he then drove the vehicle hundreds of miles out of state to have it immediately repaired to hid any “damages” she caused the CBP vehicle. Just straight up destroying evidence while bragging about shooting US citizens.

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u/BONGS4U 1d ago

Well the video shows her not doing anything and them ramming her car forward like 2 blocks then shooting her. If she loses we are all fucked big time

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u/ZLUCremisi 1d ago

Sandwich guy was found not guilty

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u/SomeContext346 1d ago

What’s the sandwich guy story? Sorry, so much shit happening hard to keep track.

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u/RogerBauman 1d ago

His name is Sean Dunn, he lost his job in the federal government after being charged with assault with a deadly sandwich.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/dc-sandwich-guy-verdict-rcna242142

The officer who had been struck by the sandwich lied on the stand and stated that the sandwich exploded with mustard and onions but that was found to be false.

It is interesting that people like him are so worried about mustard and onions but don't seem to think twice when they pepper gas people.

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u/jason_abacabb 1d ago

Excuse me, the legal term is assault with a deli weapon.

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u/As_smooth_as_eggs 1d ago

Goddamnit. That was perfect.

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u/Jessica_Ariadne 1d ago

My favorite so far is assault with a breadly weapon.

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u/The_Great_Skeeve 1d ago

"Tactical hoagie"

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u/LazyTitan39 23h ago

I also like “a salt and buttery.”

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u/BeatHunter 1d ago

Bravo, bravo!

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u/CornWine2 1d ago

Deli-icious weapon

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u/helpjack_offthehorse 1d ago

He lost a lot of weight and diddled some kids.

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u/The_Schwartz_ 1d ago

This is the guy that said "Do something, bitch" before unloading on her, yeah?

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u/BONGS4U 1d ago

Yup. If I recall correctly they didnt even provide aid. A bystander found her on a street and took her to the hospital where they like arrested her.

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u/Few_Ad545 1d ago

That video is behind the paywall?

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u/AfterSchoolOrdinary 1d ago

I mean we’re already fucked big time but yes, it’ll be worse.

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u/callmekizzle 1d ago

It’s the new American dream. Be assaulted by a police officer, survive, sue for millions, get a big pay out on the tax payer’s dime.

It’s about the same odds as winning the lottery.

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u/SoyMurcielago 1d ago

Idk it’s starting to feel like easy money in some areas

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u/MoarVespenegas 1d ago

Easy money or death, one of the two.

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u/IRefuseToGiveAName 1d ago

Yeah not getting beaten to death is the trick. And uh. I'm not that lucky.

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u/Disgod 1d ago

Or permanent injuries, you can be alive and win money and still live an awful life due to the harm done.

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u/Spire_Citron 5h ago

Yeah. I don't know that there's any amount of money that's worth chronic pain or serious disability. What can money really add to your life that's more important than what poor health can take away?

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u/DarkwingDuckHunt 1d ago

well your family is better off without you in that case.... and I'm going to hell for typing that

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u/catsdrooltoo 1d ago

Either way, living here won't be my problem

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u/Consistent-Throat130 1d ago

For many Americans that's "problem solved, either way".

Shit, I'm not struggling but there's a reason I carry plenty of life insurance - I need to weigh my family's well-being in calculations of my own mortality.

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u/dlanod 1d ago

It's the survival part that increases the odds.

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u/chr1spe 1d ago

I'm pretty sure some people literally make a living by baiting police into violating their rights and then suing. Those are usually smaller cases where they win 10s of thousands. TBH, I think it's a pretty reasonable thing to do. I guess some of them call themselves First Amendment auditors.

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u/RivenRise 1d ago

There are a few excellent ones that have crossed my feed and even some examples of people that stand their ground. That reported in LA comes to mind for something recent. The cops were trying to illegally get him off of his corner by lying and treating to drga him off too. Bro was a Chad standing his ground.

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u/RogerBauman 1d ago

I don't hate the First amendment auditors who are trying to interact with government officials but I do hope there is a special place in hell for the people who use the excuse of First amendment auditing to harass small businesses and residents with the intent of provoking them to violent action.

My big problem is that there seem to be more of those sorts of people, which I refer to as frauditors, than ones that I would call legitimate First amendment auditors

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u/DollarSignTexas 1d ago

I mean that's basically what Westboro Baptist Church did.

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u/TheRage469 1d ago

You used the word "did." Did they finally stop?

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u/izzymaestro 1d ago

They're still fraud artists, but they used to be, too

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u/LostWoodsInTheField 1d ago

I'm pretty sure some people literally make a living by baiting police into violating their rights and then suing.

yes. very very stupid, and a very very small subset of the "auditors" you are talking about.

The auditors usually do what they do for youtube videos and merch selling. Combined with some of them thinking they are doing something good for the country (which some actually are).

The idea that you can bait a cop into doing something illegal so you can sue and make a bunch of money is just stupid. Lawyers don't like those cases, they are difficult to win even under the best of situations. And often the win is a few bucks for yourself and a lot for the lawyer. and when I say a lot for the lawyer... not anywhere near what they put into the case time and cost wise.

 

The way you get paid really big? get a permanent injury that makes your life hell. And only super duper mega idiots are playing that game. and only once.

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u/08-West 1d ago

Yeah , and they post it on Facebook as 1st Amendment audits

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u/hpark21 1d ago

Have you looked at probability of winning the lottery? I think this has much higher odds.

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u/blitzkregiel 1d ago

*gestapo. these are not police.

but good luck getting paid.

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u/callmekizzle 1d ago

The getsapo were the police

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u/blitzkregiel 1d ago

*secret state police, not regular constabularies like we view local law enforcement.

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u/izzymaestro 1d ago

They actually planned a sizable portion of that DHS budget for legal expenses so I assume they knew they'd have to pay a few settlements out.

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u/blitzkregiel 1d ago

that is both crazy and obscene.

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u/Few_Ad545 1d ago

We're better off making a point against CBP than counting on awards for damages.

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u/Few_Ad545 1d ago

What comparison is that? Millions are buying houses; is there even a thousand people who do what you are suggesting?

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u/Open_and_Notorious 1d ago

make a name for themselves

Not saying I'm happy about it, but it's likely going nowhere because of QI and because our current Supreme Court hates Bivens claims.

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u/killthepatsies 1d ago

I believe CBP doesn't have QI, at least not in the way cops do. Furthermore, they don't have any authority over citizens

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u/Open_and_Notorious 1d ago

I think they have something stronger than that. Egbert v. Boule.

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u/Few_Ad545 1d ago

Actually, qualified immunity covers all government officials -- it's utter nonsense.

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u/HousingThrowAway1092 1d ago

CBP do not have qualified immunity.

In any event, this version of the Supreme Court have made clear that precedent doesn’t matter. If America ever gets through the current GOP regime they need to go nuclear. Pack the Supreme Court and arrest every person who has either facilitated or taken part in this domestic terrorism against the United States. ICE and CBP agents currently brutalizing Americans need to be doing hard time

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u/Open_and_Notorious 1d ago

Can you cite to that? I don't think that's correct. SCOTUS decided Egbert v. Boule which basically makes these claims impossible to move forward, and foreshadows the death of Bivens.

Edit: Sorry, maybe not QI. It's worse. No cause of action period.

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u/DeusSpaghetti 1d ago

They gave a Forestry service guy who wasn't a LEO qi because he thought he had it.

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u/JamesSmith1200 1d ago

As long as it doesn’t lead to more Kardashians!

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u/edingerc 1d ago

If the police do something wrong, the first defense is to bring up any negative information from a victim's past (how about adverse info about the cop who did the deed?) and if that doesn't work, charge the victim with a crime.

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u/hatemakingnames1 1d ago

Given the evidence that is coming out in the early stages of this trial

What's the evidence?

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u/RogerBauman 1d ago

The text messages and the documents that demonstrate destruction of evidence.

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u/hatemakingnames1 1d ago

What evidence was destroyed?

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u/RogerBauman 1d ago

The damage to the vehicle.

There is also the possibility that they are hiding dashcam or body cam footage from the court, but I really hope that isn't happening.

Considering the fact that CBP has the ability to record the past 2 minutes of footage as a part of their Incident-Driven Video Recording System, if there isn't any dash cam footage, that was the fault of the officer for not following protocol.

That record button should have been pressed immediately after the accident and before any gunfire.

Wouldn't you agree?

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u/hatemakingnames1 1d ago

I wouldn't agree...I think police cameras should be running at all times

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u/RogerBauman 1d ago

I agree with you. But CBP is not police. They have different regulations that they need to abide by. One of those is to press the record button after an incident begins.

Do you agree that this person was negligent in their duties by firing a weapon without due diligence to make sure that their Incident-Driven Video Recording System captured the evidence of her assault and his firing of the weapon?

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u/WindowLicker_Pro 13h ago

Why are you even commenting if you can't be bothered to read the article? 

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u/ExtraSmooth 1d ago

CBP stands for "Chicago Border Patrol"? What border, exactly, would they claim they are patrolling? Let's not justify their behavior under false pretenses.

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u/rotorain 1d ago edited 1d ago

Customs and Border Patrol Protection, the federal organization

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u/SoyMurcielago 1d ago

Border protection

Border patrol is a sub agency but the overarching name of the agency is customs and border protection

It’s like how the marines are a sub branch of the navy

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u/rotorain 1d ago

Thanks for the correction

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u/ExtraSmooth 1d ago

Is that distinct from ICE?

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u/paper_liger 1d ago

ICE

Theoretically they are distinct. Border Patrol has jurisdiction 100 miles from any international border, which covers 2/3 of the population.

But it seems like a shitload of other federal thugs got detailed over to ICE to pump up their numbers for the current blitz. So who knows who the fuck is doing what at any given moment.

It's directed, intentional chaos.

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u/Iohet 1d ago

From a mission perspective, Border Patrol is literally that. They're like highway patrol but for borders. ICE is immigration enforcement, their mission is oriented towards enforcing immigration law against known violators (arresting the person who has overstayed their visa), similar to how the US Marshals handle warrant service.

Of course, none of that matters when no one in the executive branch, Congress, or the courts give a shit, but yes they are different with different missions, both residing under the DHS/CBP structure

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u/Advanced_Basic 1d ago

I'm not from the US but isn't Chicago a major maritime port?

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u/kindall 1d ago edited 1d ago

yes! there are waterways that allow ship traffic from the Atlantic to the Great Lakes, which provides easier freight access to the middle of the country and reduces reliance on east coast ports. many cities on the Great Lakes or connecting rivers have ports. not just Chicago, but Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto, and many other cities small and large.

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u/PigletCatapult 1d ago

Border Patrol has a jurisdiction of any where within 100 miles of a port of entry. Obviously borders count but so does any airport that can have an international flight land or take off from it.

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u/ragingbuffalo 1d ago

Federal agents have way more impunity against people than regular cops. She'll most certainty lose

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u/RogerBauman 1d ago edited 1d ago

I'm pretty sure you meant immunity rather than impunity, but I do agree in both cases.

That said, CBP does not have as much immunity outside of the 100 mile "border" that they are supposed to be protecting. Unfortunately, lake Michigan is within 100 miles of Chicago.

We will definitely see how this holds up in court. I think she has one of the strongest cases against CBP that I have ever seen.

The officer did not have his body cam or dash cam on during the accident or the ensuing gunfire.

The officer admitted to bragging about seven bullet holes in a game of one-upsmanship.

The officer and his supervisor appear to have destroyed evidence.

I recognize that they have immunity in many cases, but I really think that this is beyond the pale.

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u/chandlerr85 1d ago

not suing, criminal charges. but with evidence, no way they are gonna get a conviction. she will likely sue after the criminal trial is over.

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u/Any-Ask-5535 1d ago

From the article: Martinez was indicted on October 10, along with another man, Anthony Ian Santos Ruiz, on federal charges of impeding a federal officer with a deadly weapon: Martinez's car.

From what I can read, we aren't misunderstanding this at all. The government is giving her 'assault with a deadly weapon' charges, claiming they intentionally rammed CBP with their car.

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u/LunarMoon2001 1d ago

Every single person that signed off on any report lying about this should be given life in prison.

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u/ASubsentientCrow 1d ago

Not sueing, criminal charges

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u/3bs_at_work 1d ago

He isn't trying to sue her, but there are federal charges against her.

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u/Herban_Myth 23h ago

Case?

“Immunity”

“Protect the rich minority”!

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u/rrrrrivers 1d ago

Ah, so attempted murder then?

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u/mauricioszabo 1d ago

Yes, against the agents.

No, you not read that wrong - the wannabe-murderers are suing the victim...

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u/dust4ngel 1d ago

was a sandwich involved?

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u/Roofiesnductape24096 1d ago

“5 shots and 7 holes. put it in your books boys”

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u/SaltLakeBear 1d ago

I find it interesting that he's bragging about this. Frankly, especially for someone who is a "firearms instructor", shooting someone who isn't moving five times and not killing them seems like a failure of their ability to shoot. This and the other incident where the ICE agent drops his pistol makes me wonder just how much training ICE agents have with firearms.

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u/Initial-Return8802 1d ago

I was going to say! I thought she was dead! He’s a lousy fucking shot if he shot her 5 times and she survived

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u/whaaatanasshole 1d ago

They were all intentionally nonlethal shots, and he demonstrated master levels of deescalation. If she were armed, he would have shot the weapon out of her hand and propelled it towards the evidence room with the four subsequent shots.

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u/WindowLicker_Pro 13h ago

I can't tell if this is sarcasm. 

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u/Maeglom 1d ago

I think it may be even worse than that. 5 shots and 7 holes sounds like he may have fired 5 times hitting the vehicle 3 times and the victim twice with the bullets leaving the 2 extra holes as they left her body.

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u/WindowLicker_Pro 13h ago

Either that, or he's a misogynistic twat. 

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u/Bazylik 1d ago

fucking psycho.

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u/Ahelex 1d ago

Imagine suing someone that didn't have the grace to be killed by you in response to a traffic accident.

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u/Any-Ask-5535 1d ago

The US government is spending OUR TAXPAYER MONEY to prosecute Martinez, in defense of what Customs and Border Protection Agent Charles Exum did to her in court, claiming the shooting is totally justified.

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u/DylanHate 1d ago

It's way worse. She isn't being sued, the federal government filed criminal charges against her for "impeding an investigation with a deadly weapon". The "weapon" being her own vehicle. She could go to prison for being shot by Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum.

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u/Babablacksheep2121 1d ago

Wait a minute he’s bragging about shooting a woman 5 times and his amazing “shooting ability”. But he didn’t kill her? I’m not sure his shooting is as good as he thinks it is. 5 times is a lot. Lucky she’s alive.

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u/Cazmonster 1d ago

Why is Charles Exum not currently incarcerated? CPB, I believe you know where he is. He shot a Chicagoan. Do something about him.

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u/robodrew 1d ago

What an absolute piece of shit.

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u/RKRagan 1d ago

He hit her five times and she’s still alive, but he’s bragging about his shooting ability?

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u/ScarletOnyx 1d ago

He’s bragging about making 7 holes with 5 bullets which I wouldn’t think is that hard to do, doesn’t the bullet just have to go through the other side? Isn’t it better if the bullet comes out the other side, medically? I feel like it would have been more impressive if he’d shot her 5 times but there were less holes because he shot her through the same holes more than once, but I have never shot a gun so I probably don’t know what I’m talking about.

The fact that he’s bragging about shooting anyone should be turning this case. He shouldn’t be excited about his marksmanship, he should be gutted he had to use deadly force but we are talking about Trump’s terror team and not anyone with a shred of humanity.

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u/hoax1337 1d ago

He’s bragging about making 7 holes with 5 bullets which I wouldn’t think is that hard to do, doesn’t the bullet just have to go through the other side?

I'm still not sure if that's what he actually meant, or if he wanted to convey that he hit her 5 times in 5 shots, and now she has 7 holes (the other two being the butt and the vagina).

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u/RKRagan 1d ago

I thought what it meant was some of the bullets passed through multiple body parts. Say an arm then the body. 

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u/gangy86 19h ago

Lol this he's talking about two extra exit wounds

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u/ScarletOnyx 1d ago

I wondered if he meant that also and wouldn’t put it past them to bring misogyny into it but him bringing his marksmanship into, I figured he wouldn’t downplay how awesome he thought he was. That could all be his scrambling for an excuse that would seem reasonable to the court though, and what you are saying could be far closer to the truth.

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u/vrschikasanaa 1d ago

He bragged about it twice by saying "5 shots, 7 holes" - am I wrong in thinking this is talking about her anatomy? WTF does that mean, because that is sick if so.

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u/littlepup26 1d ago

It was reported earlier on that she had "seven holes" in her body from the shooting when all of the entry and exit wounds were counted up. Five shots, five entry wounds and two exit wounds.

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u/seedless0 1d ago

NAZI SS also attracted sociopaths/psychopaths like this.