Marimar Martinez, who was shot by U.S. Border Patrol in Chicago, to testify on Capitol Hill
A Chicago woman shot five times by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent back in the fall was set to testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Marimar Martinez is one of several U.S. citizens set to appear before a congressional forum examining the use of force by U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut), Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, are holding hold the bicameral public forum.
The DHS claimed Martinez, 31, was in one of several cars that tried to box in Border Patrol agents near Pershing Road and Kedzie Avenue in the city's Brighton Park neighborhood last October. The feds accused Martinez of ramming her car into federal agents before one of them shot her five times while she was still inside the vehicle.
But nearly two months later, federal prosecutors dropped charges of assaulting the agents that had been filed against her, and a judge dismissed them with prejudice, which prevents the government from filing them against her again.
Also to testify at the forum are Brent and Luke Ganger, the brothers of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis last month.
The hearing begins at 2 p.m. Central time.
Meanwhile, video could be released soon from the day immigration agents shot Martinez. Federal prosecutors said Tuesday morning that they do not object to releasing body camera footage from the incident.
The Trump administration also agreed to share interviews with agents involved in the Chicago shooting, as well as FBI reports and Martinez's 911 call.
Martinez's attorney spoke to CBS News Chicago last week about the quest to get evidence from her case publicly released.
"After seeing these killings in Minnesota, Marimar is upset, right?" said attorney Chris Parente. "Every time this happens, it's triggering for her. and it's sad for her to see, and she wants this information that's in our case to get out there."
