This frame from a video released by Minneapolis shows law enforcement at the scene of a non-fatal, federal agent-involved shooting on Jan. 14.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent charged with shooting and injuring a man in Minneapolis earlier this year is now in custody.
Hennepin County prosecutors charged 52-year-old Christian J. Castro with four felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime.
Those charges stem from the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who the Department of Homeland Security claimed had fled from a traffic stop and was shot.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says Castro was arrested in Texas on Friday morning after Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) investigators found him. Homeland Security Inspector General Office agents and Texas Rangers assisted in the arrest.
“Today’s arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “The BCA’s investigative work was instrumental in this process and we’re grateful for their collaboration as we pursue accountability for this incident on behalf of Mr. Sosa-Celis, his family, and our community.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison added, “I am pleased to hear Christian Castro has been taken into custody and will stand trial for the crimes he allegedly committed in Minnesota. Justice demands no less. Christian Castro’s alleged shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis appears unwarranted, as evidenced by the lies Castro told his ICE supervisors to justify his unlawful actions. He remains innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
Moriarty has said she expects the agent will try to move the case to federal court but state prosecutors would still lead the case. Watch her press conference announcing charges against Castro in the video player below.
Another ICE agent, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., is charged in a separate incident for allegedly pointing his a gun at another car on Highway 62 in February. He turned himself in last week.
In Depth
Homeland Security initially said three people assaulted the ICE officer with a snow shovel and broom handles for three minutes, but video of the incident released by the City of Minneapolis contradicts that claim.
The video shows Sosa-Celis running toward the house but slipping and falling before the ICE agent catches up with him. Another man is seen dropping a snow shovel and going inside the house.
Castro’s version of events, as detailed in an FBI affidavit, describes three men beating him with a shovel and a broom. Despite claiming to be outnumbered three to one and enduring the assault “for about three minutes … exhausted, alone, on the ground, and in fear of his safety,” Castro said he adeptly blocked most of their blows to avoid injury. The complaint, citing medical records, states Castro “suffered no demonstrable trauma to his body except for an abrasion to his left hand at the base of his thumb.”
Federal charges against Sosa-Celis and his roommate, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, were dismissed with prejudice after government prosecutors said “newly discovered evidence” clashed with the accounts of two ICE agents involved. Those two agents were placed on leave while Homeland Security investigated whether they lied under oath.
Moriarty has said the traffic stop that precipitated the incident was a case of mistaken identity. ICE claims Sosa-Celis was stopped due to a license plate search flagging him as a noncitizen; however, he was in the country legally with Temporary Protected Status.
In a statement, an ICE spokesperson called the charges “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” going on to recycle an earlier statement on the allegations that ICE agents misrepresented the incident while under oath:
“Lying under oath is a serious federal offense. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is actively investigating these statements. Upon conclusion of the investigation, the officers may face disciplinary action, including termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution.
“The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct. Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated.”
