The charges were filed after the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his leg.
MINNEAPOLIS — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Charges filed against federal immigration agents Accused of shooting and wounding a man in north Minneapolis earlier this year.
Christian Castro, 52, has been charged with four counts of second-degree armed assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, Moriarty revealed at a news conference Monday afternoon. Moriarty said arrest warrants have been issued nationwide for Castro.
The charges come after the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his leg, just a week after Renee Good was fatally shot by an agent in south Minneapolis.
“A violent crime did occur that night, but the perpetrator was Mr. Castro,” Moriarty said. “He burst through the door of a house with many people inside, including children, and fortunately did not hit several other people. … Mr. Castro was an ICE agent, but his federal badge did not shield him from Minnesota charges for his criminal conduct.”
Moriarty went on to say that after the incident, ICE Director Todd Lyons actually admitted that two ICE officers had lied after the incident – Castro being one of them.
Moriarty said Castro’s defense team may try to move the case to federal court, but insisted her office would still lead the prosecution. Moriarty said that regardless, if Castro is convicted, the ICE agent will not be eligible for a presidential pardon.
“There are many cases where state authorities have had to hold federal agents accountable for violations of state law,” she said.
The U.S. Department of Justice has so far declined to charge any of the officers involved in the shootings, including the officers accused of shooting Goode on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretty on Jan. 24.
However, the Justice Department did initially file charges against Sosa-Sellis, claiming he struck an officer with a shovel while pursuing another man.
Later surveillance video showed There is no evidence to support the government’s assertion that the men attacked the agents. Moriarty also said that while the federal government was allegedly focused on the deportation that night, they quickly learned it was a “case of mistaken identity.”
“What I want to say very clearly is that they are here legally,” Moriarty said. “… He’s not who they thought he was, and I just want to reiterate that they’re all here legally.”
Daniel Rosen, U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota The court was subsequently urged to dismiss the charges against Sosa-Sellis with prejudice, meaning they cannot be refiled. A judge approved the dismissal in early February.
