CHICAGO (AP) — Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino praised a federal agent who shot a Chicago woman during an immigration crackdown last year, according to evidence released Wednesday by attorneys who accused the Trump administration of mishandling the investigation and spreading lies about the shooting.
Marimar Martinez, a teaching assistant and U.S. citizen, was shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October while in her vehicle. She was charged with a felony after Homeland Security officials accused her of trying to ram agents with her vehicle. But the case was dismissed after videos emerged showing an agent steering his vehicle into Martinez’s vehicle.
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Marimar Martinez, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, arrives with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Marimar Martinez, left, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, sits with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Marimar Martinez, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, sits with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Attorney Christopher Parente speaks during a press conference with his client Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Marimar Martinez, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, sits with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Her attorneys pushed to make evidence in the now-dissolved criminal case public, saying they were especially motivated after a federal agent fatally shot Minneapolis woman Renee Good under similar circumstances.
Martinez's attorneys are pursuing a complaint under a law that permits individuals to sue federal agencies. They outlined instances of DHS lying about Martinez after the shooting, including labeling her a “domestic terrorist” and accusing her of having a history of “doxxing federal agents.” The Montessori school assistant has no criminal record and prosecutors haven't brought evidence in either claim.
“This is a time where we just cannot trust the words of our federal officials,” attorney Christopher Parente said at a news conference where his office released evidence.
That included an agent’s hand-drawn diagram of the scene to allege how Martinez “boxed in” federal agents. It included vehicles Parente said “don’t exist.”
Many of the emails, texts and videos were released the night before by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said use-of-force incidents “are thoroughly investigated” and the agent involved, Charles Exum, was placed on administrative leave.
The shooting came during the height of the Chicago-area crackdown. Arrests, protests and tense standoffs with immigration agents were common across the city of 2.7 million and its suburbs. Weeks before the Martinez shooting, agents fatally shot a suburban Chicago dad in a traffic stop.
The government unsuccessfully fought the document release, including an email from Bovino, who led enforcement operations nationwide before he returned to his previous post in California last month.
“In light of your excellent service in Chicago, you have much yet left to do!!” Bovino wrote Exum on Oct. 4.
In an agent group text, others congratulated Exum, calling him a “legend" and offering to buy him beer. In previously released documents, Exum's text messages appeared to show him bragging to colleagues about his shooting skills.
“I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys,” the text read.
The latest documents are public now because U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis lifted a protective order last week. Federal prosecutors argued the documents could damage Exum's reputation. But Alexakis said the government has shown “zero concern” about ruining Martinez's reputation.
On the day Martinez was shot, she had followed agents' vehicle and honked her horn to warn others of the presence of immigration agents. Body camera footage showed agents with weapons drawn and rushing out of the vehicle.
“It’s time to get aggressive and get the (expletive) out,” one agent said.
Martinez, who sat near her attorneys, was largely silent during the news conference.
She declined an Associated Press interview request. In recent weeks she has spoken to local media and before lawmakers.
Earlier this month, Martinez testified before congressional Democrats to highlight use-of-force incidents by DHS officers. Members of Good’s family also spoke. Martinez is scheduled to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address this month as the guest of U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
She was hospitalized before being taken into the custody of the FBI, which still has her car. Martinez said the incident has left her with mistrust of law enforcement, which accused her of being armed.
Martinez has a valid concealed-carry license and had a handgun in her purse. Attorneys showed a picture of it in a pink holster at the bottom of her purse, saying it remained there during the encounter.
“They are not targeting the worst of the worst, they are targeting individuals who fit a certain profile, who simply have a certain accent, or a non-white skin color just like mine. This raises serious concerns about fairness, discrimination, and abuse of authority,” she said during her congressional testimony. “The lack of accountability for these actions is deeply troubling.”
Martinez’s attorneys said they’d pursue a complaint under the Federal Tort Claims Act. If the agency denies the claim or doesn't act on it within six months, they can file a federal lawsuit.
Marimar Martinez, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, arrives with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Marimar Martinez, left, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, sits with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Marimar Martinez, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, sits with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Attorney Christopher Parente speaks during a press conference with his client Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Marimar Martinez, a woman who was shot by a Border Patrol agent last year, sits with her attorneys during a press conference Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Charlotte's surge to at least the play-in tournament and possibly the playoffs in the Eastern Conference has been fueled in large part by the 3-point shot.
And by season's end, it's well within reach that the top two 3-point shooters in the NBA this season — at least in terms of makes — both might be wearing Hornets uniforms.
Charlotte rookie Kon Knueppel leads the NBA with his Hornets-record 261 made 3s so far this season, and LaMelo Ball is currently third in the league with 243 makes from beyond the arc. Between them: the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, who is set to miss some time with a hamstring injury.
Knueppel already has the NBA record for 3s made by a rookie as well.
“He definitely needs to celebrate,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said.
If Knueppel and Ball finish 1-2 in the final standings for made 3s, they would become the second set of teammates in NBA history to hold down the top two spots on that list for a full season. The other, as one would likely guess, were the “Splash Brothers” — Golden State's Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, who finished first and second in the season standings in four consecutive seasons from 2013-14 through 2016-17 (and nearly did it in 2012-13 as well).
Other pairings have come close. Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce were second and third in made 3s for Boston in 2001-02 (behind Ray Allen, the then-future Celtic who was playing for Milwaukee at the time). And in 1992-93, Phoenix's Dan Majerle tied Indiana's Reggie Miller for the made-3s title, with Suns teammate Danny Ainge finishing third.
Here's what we know so far regarding the NBA playoff field for this season.
— Eastern Conference playoff teams: Detroit, Boston, New York, Cleveland are in. At this point, Atlanta and Philadelphia would get the other two guaranteed spots but those are not clinched.
— East play-in teams: Nobody is locked into the play-in yet, but entering Friday, the four teams headed there are Toronto, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami.
— East eliminated teams: Milwaukee, Chicago, Indiana, Brooklyn and Washington.
— Western Conference playoff teams: Oklahoma City, San Antonio, the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver and Houston are in. Minnesota is likely to grab the sixth and final guaranteed spot.
— West play-in teams: Phoenix is probably going to the play-in tournament. Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State definitely are.
— West eliminated teams: Memphis, New Orleans, Dallas, Utah and Sacramento.
— Hornets 127, Suns 107: Charlotte clinches no worse than a .500 record.
— Pistons 113, Timberwolves 108: Detroit closing in on East No. 1 seed.
— Thunder 139, Lakers 96: Luka Doncic hurt, Lakers tie 7th-biggest loss in team history.
— Cavaliers 118, Warriors 111: Cleveland on brink of clinching top-4 seed.
— Trail Blazers 118, Pelicans 106: Portland made 20 3s, New Orleans made nine.
— Spurs 118, Clippers 99: Victor Wembanyama sits, Spurs win 11th straight anyway.
— Indiana at Charlotte: A winning record this season is going to get Hornets’ coach Charles Lee some award votes.
— Minnesota at Philadelphia: Massive implications seeding-wise for both teams.
— Atlanta at Brooklyn: Hawks closing in on Southeast Division title, possibly No. 5 seed.
— Chicago at New York: Knicks nearing the 50-win mark yet again.
— Utah at Houston: The Rockets know they can’t afford a slipup in this spot.
— Toronto at Memphis: Raptors need a few wins down the stretch to avoid play-in.
— Boston at Milwaukee: Bucks coach Doc Rivers faces his former team, a day before expected Hall of Fame formal announcement.
— Orlando at Dallas: Magic coach Jamahl Mosley enjoyed a lot of nights when he was on the Mavs’ staff. He desperately needs one of those good nights here.
— New Orleans at Sacramento: A pair of teams building for the future.
— Washington at Miami: Bam Adebayo scored 83 against the Wizards last month. The rematch!
— San Antonio at Denver: Wembanyama vs. Nikola Jokic in potential West playoff pairing.
— Detroit at Philadelphia: Sorry, Detroit. Michigan-Arizona Final Four game tips off during this one.
Friday on NBA TV: Chicago-New York.
Saturday on Prime: San Antonio-Denver.
Saturday on NBA TV: Detroit-Philadelphia.
Oklahoma City (+135) is favored to win the NBA title, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed by Boston (+550), San Antonio (+550), Denver (+1100), Cleveland (+1200) and New York (+1600). Detroit, on its way to the No. 1 seed in the East, is +2500.
— April 10: All 30 teams play their 81st games of the season.
— April 12: All 30 teams play their regular season finales.
— April 14, 15 and 17: NBA play-in tournament dates.
— April 18 and 19: NBA playoff series openers.
— May 2, 3 or 4: Conference semifinals begin.
— May 10: NBA draft lottery.
— May 10-17: NBA draft combine.
— May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.
— May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.
— June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).
The Thunder had 14 different players score in their win over the Lakers on Thursday night. There have been only seven games in NBA history, including playoffs, where a team saw more players score at least one point in the same game.
The Spurs are 27-2 since Feb. 1 — and have picked up only 3 1/2 games on Oklahoma City (23-5) in that span. (By the way, the best record in the East since that date belongs to Atlanta at 20-6.)
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, left, struggles to field a pass as Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green defends in the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) looks for a play against Utah Jazz guard John Konchar (55) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) holds the ball away from Utah Jazz guard John Konchar during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson, left, is fouled by Philadelphia 76ers center Adem Bona, right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 30, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Toronto Raptors centre Jakob Poeltl (front) is fouled by Orlando Magic centre Goga Bitadze (back left) as Magic forward Paolo Banchero (right) looks on during first half NBA action in Toronto on Sunday, March 29, 2026. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, drives against Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
