Update: ICE agent arrested in non-fatal shooting of immigrant
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and state Attorney General Keith Ellison announced charges on May 18 against an ICE agent who allegedly shot a man on the Northside in January. 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 arrested in Texas Friday morning and will be brought back to Minnesota to face charges.
Christian Castro, 52, is charged with four counts of second-degree assault in connection with the non-fatal shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis on Jan. 14 at 24th and Lyndale avenues.
He was arrested by Texas Rangers with Homeland Security agents and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators present, according to a statement by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
Castro also faces a charge of falsely reporting a crime. Federal prosecutors dropped charges against Castro and another man after Homeland Security acknowledged that 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.
“Today’s arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro,” County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in the 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.”
Agents were chasing a car driven by Alfredo 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 by federal agents a week later.
Three ICE-involved 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.
Homeland Security has not shared evidence with local law enforcement in any of the Minneapolis shootings, Moriarty said. She credited the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension with compiling evidence that led to the charges against Castro.
In statement to North News, a Homeland Security spokesperson said the matter is being investigated and said the officers could face disciplinary action, including firing and criminal prosecution.
“These actions by Minnesota sanctuary politicians are unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” the spokesperson said. “This is a federal issue, and it must be handled at the federal level.”
Moriarty anticipates Castro’s attorney will seek to have the case tried in Federal Court, where a juror would come from a pool broader than Hennepin County, and his attorney could claim that federal law overrides state law, a defense under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
Hennepin County attorneys would still prosecute the case, and a conviction would not make him eligible for a presidential pardon.
"In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under the law. That means nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. “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.”