An ICE officer who shot a Venezuelan man and is accused by Minnesota prosecutors of lying about the incident was charged with assault and falsely reporting a crime in Minnesota on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro was charged with four counts of assault in the second degree and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis in January during an attempted immigration arrest, Minnesota prosecutors announced Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The charges accuse Castro of shooting through the front door of a residence \u201cwith the intent to cause fear of immediate bodily harm or death to the four adults who were just inside the door,\u201d Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at a news conference Monday. There is a nationwide warrant for his arrest, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMr. Castro fired his service weapon at the front door of the home, knowing there were people who had just run inside that presented absolutely no threat to him or anyone else,\u201d Moriarty said. \u201cThe bullet punched through the front door and struck Mr. Sosa-Celis\u2019 leg before traveling through a closet and lodging in the wall of a child\u2019s bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the night of Jan. 14, ICE officers confronted Sosa-Celis and another Venezuelan man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, in an immigration enforcement action near their home, according to authorities. Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg, authorities said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moriarty said that both men were in Minnesota \u201clawfully\u201d and that \u201cthis was a case of mistaken identity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DHS said in its original statement that the shooting occurred after Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were alleged to have attacked the officer with a shovel and a broom. They were charged with assaulting the officer, but all charges were later dismissed with prejudice after Minnesota prosecutors said new evidence was \u201cmaterially inconsistent with the allegations\u201d against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Video of the incident released in February and April appeared to contradict the agency\u2019s account, showing one man standing with a shovel near a home before he drops it while another man runs toward the residence empty-handed. An officer then tackles one of the men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In mid-February, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said a review of video evidence revealed that two officers appeared \u201cto have made untruthful statements\u201d in sworn testimony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both officers were placed on administrative leave pending the completion of an investigation, Lyons said in the statement. He added that \u201ca joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLying under oath is a serious federal offense,\u201d Lyons said at the time. \u201cUpon conclusion of the investigation, the officers may face termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moriarty said at the news conference that Castro \u201cwas not under any physical threat when he fired his weapon, or even beforehand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe was not hit by a shovel or a broom. In fact, he was not hit at all,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another ICE agent who was part of the federal immigration surge in Minnesota this year was charged last month with felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. The agent, Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., was accused of pointing a gun at the heads of two civilians in a vehicle, Moriarty said in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Feb. 5, Morgan was driving an SUV with no markings in the Minneapolis area when he pulled up next to another vehicle and \u201cpointed his duty weapon directly at both victims while continuing to drive illegally on the shoulder\u201d of a highway, she said. The driver then called 911.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For \u201ca federal agent, our opinion is that illegally driving on a shoulder, pulling up to a car and pointing a gun at the heads of two community members who are not doing anything at the time is well beyond the scope of their authority,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges and accusations against Morgan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration sent 3,000 federal agents to Minnesota at the end of November for the immigration enforcement operation dubbed Metro Surge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amid the crackdown, immigration authorities shot and killed two U.S. citizens \u2014 Renee Good, 37, a mother of young children, and Alex Pretti, 37, an intensive care nurse at a local Veterans Affairs hospital \u2014 in separate confrontations. The killings, which were captured in videos, led to a groundswell of outrage and massive protests across the country. The deaths also drew stark criticism from Democrats and some Republican lawmakers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n