United States
ICE AGENT ARRESTED IN MINNESOTA OVER SHOOTING OF VENEZUELAN MAN
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro has been arrested in Minnesota in connection with the January shooting of a Venezuela...
By Patience
Castro turned himself in to Minnesota authorities on Wednesday and was booked into Hennepin County Jail on an outstanding state arrest warrant. He is facing separate state and federal criminal proceedings.
CASTRO FACES STATE ASSAULT CHARGES
The Minnesota case stems from a January 14 confrontation involving Castro and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who was shot in the leg.
Prosecutors have charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
Authorities allege that Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home after Sosa-Celis and another man had entered the property. Sosa-Celis was struck by the bullet while people, including children, were inside the home.
INVESTIGATION CHALLENGED CASTRO'S ACCOUNT
The case also involves allegations that Castro gave investigators an inaccurate account of what happened before the shooting.
Castro reportedly told authorities that he had been attacked with a broom and snow shovel. Surveillance footage later became central to the investigation and prosecutors said it contradicted that account.
Federal prosecutors subsequently dropped assault charges against Sosa-Celis and another man that had been based on allegations surrounding the confrontation.
FEDERAL CASE ADDS FALSE-STATEMENT CHARGES
Castro is also facing a federal case accusing him of making materially false statements to investigators.
A federal grand jury indicted him on six counts related to statements he allegedly made about the January shooting. He pleaded not guilty to those federal charges and was previously released on bond while wearing a GPS monitoring device.
The federal case represents a separate legal proceeding from the assault charges filed by Minnesota authorities.
ARREST FOLLOWED MONTHS OF LEGAL DISPUTE
Castro's Minnesota arrest came after months of disagreement over where he should face the state charges.
He had previously been held in Texas after Minnesota authorities sought his arrest and extradition. A Texas judge later ordered his release on bond after an immediate transfer to Minnesota was not approved.
Castro's attorney has disputed suggestions that his client intended to evade the Minnesota case, saying he intended to appear in court.
ICE AGENT REMAINS UNDER SUSPENSION
Castro has been suspended from ICE without pay while the legal proceedings continue.
The shooting occurred during Operation Metro Surge, a major federal immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota that generated protests and clashes earlier this year.
The criminal cases against Castro will now proceed through the state and federal court systems, where the allegations will be tested through the legal process.