Incident:2025-10-04 Chicago IL Brighton Park Neighborhood Shooting by Federal Agent
| Date | 2025-10-04 | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | ||
| City | Chicago | |
| County | Cook County | |
| State | Illinois | |
| Country | United States | |
| Location details | Brighton Park neighborhood – southwestern Chicago | |
| Facility | ||
| Agencies involved | U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) / U.S. Border Patrol — agent identified as Supervisory Agent (Charles Exum) | |
| Operation type | Vehicle pursuit / shooting encounter | |
| Status | Verified (court filings; multiple media reports) | |
| People affected | One civilian woman shot by federal agent | |
| Arrests reported | 2 (civilian and co-defendant) | |
| Detentions reported | Unknown | |
| Deportations | 0 | |
| Injuries | One woman sustained gunshot wounds | |
| Deaths | 0 | |
| Agents at the scene | Agent:Charles Exum | |
| Vehicles at the scene | Government-issued Chevrolet Tahoe driven by CBP agent | |
| Verification | Text messages from agent; federal court filings; media investigation | |
| Key sources | * '5 shots, 7 holes': Border patrol supervisor appeared to brag about shooting woman, defense attorney says | |
| Additional information | {{{additional_info}}} |
Summary:
On October 4, 2025, in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago, a federal agent from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) / U.S. Border Patrol unit shot a civilian woman multiple times during a vehicle-related encounter in which the agent’s vehicle was alleged to have been surrounded or rammed. During the subsequent court proceedings, the agent’s text messages to colleagues—boasting “I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes”—were revealed. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Full description
The incident began when the agent’s Tahoe was involved in a crash or sideswipe with a civilian vehicle. According to federal filings, the agent claimed his vehicle was boxed in by multiple cars and that the civilian driver attempted to ram him. He then fired his weapon five times, hitting the woman. As part of the investigation and litigation, defense attorneys raised concerns about evidence handling: the agent’s vehicle was transported from Chicago to Maine after the incident for repairs, including buffing off scuff marks before it could be inspected by defense. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6} In the days following the shooting, protests erupted in the neighborhood and federal agents used tear-gas and pepper-balls to disperse crowds. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
Agencies and units involved
- U.S. Border Patrol (under CBP)
- Oversight by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Agents
Timeline
- 2025-10-04 — Shooting incident in Brighton Park neighborhood.
- 2025-11-06 — Text messages from agent disclosed in court hearing, showing bragging. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
- 2025-11-20 — Federal judge dismisses case against civilian woman. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
Sources
Notes
- Victim identity withheld for privacy; only public name is referenced in media as civilian woman.
- The agent’s text messages raise serious questions about use of force and mindset in federal law-enforcement context.
- Evidence-preservation issues: the agent’s vehicle was moved and repaired out of state before defense inspection — raises potential chain-of-custody concerns.
- The incident forms part of the broader enforcement surge known as Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}