An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent will face charges following the nonfatal shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minnesota. On Monday (May 18), Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced that Christian Castro was charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime related to the January 14 shooting of Julio César Sosa-Celis.
The incident occurred during Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement action in Minneapolis that was part of President Donald Trump‘s national deportation campaign.
Castro allegedly shot through the front door of a residence, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg. Moriarty stated that both Sosa-Celis and another man involved were lawfully in the U.S. and posed no threat to the officers.
Initially, federal authorities accused Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna of assaulting an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. However, those charges were dismissed after video evidence contradicted the officers’ accounts. The video, released by the city of Minneapolis, showed the men not posing a threat, leading to an investigation into whether the officers lied under oath.
This case is part of a broader investigation into the conduct of federal officers during the immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Hennepin County continues to investigate other incidents, including the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, which have sparked public unrest and questions about officer conduct.
Recent Comments