CHICAGO – A woman shot by federal agents during a confrontation in ChicagoS Brighton Park neighborhood Saturday has been charged, authorities confirmed. The shooting occurred amid heightened tensions following a recent fatal ICE shooting in nearby Franklin Park and the controversial deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois authorized by the White house over the objection of Governor JB Pritzker.
The incident unfolded after a Border Patrol agent fired a shot at a 27-year-old woman, identified as Martinez-Ruiz, following a physical altercation, according to a criminal complaint. She has been charged with aggravated battery causing harm to a federal officer and disarming a federal officer.
Brighton Park residents report a chaotic scene following the shooting, alleging federal agents antagonized the community for several hours by deploying tear gas and pepper balls at protesters. More than half a dozen neighbors interviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times requested anonymity, citing fear for their safety.
“They say Chicago is so violent, but this is the frist time in 50 years on this block we’ve ever had commotion around here that big,” said one longtime resident.
Another neighbor described the use of tear gas as an unnecessary escalation.”No one was in the faces of the officers, they were just shouting at them to get out of here,” she said. “All they were doing was screaming, they were speaking their minds.” The woman, whose family are all citizens, expressed concern about racial profiling. “My mom’s been trying to keep me calm, saying, ‘You’re a citizen, they can’t really do that to you,'” she said. “But I’m Brown.”
Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) stated the federal agents’ tactics were “calculated to raise tensions.”
Governor Pritzker, speaking on CNN Sunday, expressed skepticism about the official narrative surrounding the shooting, referencing the recent ICE shooting in Franklin Park where initial reports differed from the eventual findings. “At first, they said that the officer had been threatened with his life. The reality of it and the truth of it has now come out, and that wasn’t the case.They killed somebody. So, here, it’s really hard to know exactly what the facts are. And they won’t let us access the facts.They are just putting out their propaganda, and then we have got to later determine what actually happened.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson has not yet commented on Saturday’s shooting. He is expected to address the situation at a news conference Monday.
The White House confirmed Saturday it “authorized” the deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois despite Governor Pritzker’s opposition.
