ICE agent charged in shooting of immigrant and falsely claiming attack
Federal agents moved toward a crowd of angry protesters following an incident where an ICE agent shot an immigrant man in North Minneapolis on Jan. 14. Photo by David Pierini
By David Pierini, Editor
An ICE agent, who allegedly shot a Salvadorian immigrant through his Northside apartment door and lied about being attacked, was charged with four counts of second-degree assault Monday for the January incident that sparked hours of unrest.
Hennepin County District Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the charges against Christian Castro, 52, in connection with the non-fatal shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis on Jan. 14 at 24th and Lyndale avenues.
Castro also faces a charge of falsely reporting a crime. Federal prosecutors dropped charges against Castro and another man after Homeland Security acknowledged Castro and a colleague lied about what led to the shooting.
Castro and his partner said the shooting was in self-defense and claimed they were attacked with a shovel. Their claim fell apart thanks to video captured from a nearby traffic camera. The agents were placed on leave pending an internal investigation.
Moriarity, flanked by state Attorney General Keith Ellison, said her office is working with authorities to bring Castro to Minneapolis for arraignment.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and state Attorney General Keith Ellison announced charges against an ICE agent who allegedly shot a man on the Northside in January. Photo by David Pierini
“A violent crime occurred that night, but it was Mr. Castro, an ICE agent, who committed it,” Moriarity said during a news conference. “His federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct.”
Agents were chasing a car driven by Alfedo Aljorna. When the car stopped in front of the apartment, Sosa-Celis opened the apartment door to the commotion. Aljorna ran inside, and Castro allegedly fired his gun through the closed door. Sosa-Celis was hit in the leg, and the bullet was found lodged in the wall of a child’s room.
News of the shooting quickly drew protestors to the area, which was shrouded in clouds of tear gas after a tense standoff with agents. The Northside incident followed the shooting death of Renee Good by a federal agent. A second protestor, Alex Pretti, was shot and killed a week later.
The optics of three shootings in three weeks forced the Trump White House to curb its immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Most of the more than 3,000 agents that were part of Operation Metro Surge began leaving the state in February.
“I continue to hope the federal government will work with us to make sure that the law is followed,” Ellison said. “I will say that at this moment we’re still hoping for that.”
Homeland Security has not shared evidence with local law enforcement in any of the Minneapolis shootings, Moriarity said. She credited the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with compiling evidence that led to the charges against Castro.
Moriarity said it is likely Castro’s attorney will seek to have the case tried in Federal Court, where a juror would come from a pool wider than Hennepin County, and his attorney could try to claim that federal law overrides state law, a defense under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
Hennepin County attorney would still prosecute the case, and a conviction would not make him eligible for a presidential pardon.