A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been federally charged for allegedly lying to investigators about the January shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, according to multiple news reports.
Christian Castro, who already faces criminal charges in Minnesota in connection with the shooting, was indicted Sept. 2 by a federal grand jury on six counts of making false statements, CBS News and MS Now reported. The indictment remained under seal Sept. 3, and law enforcement officers were attempting to locate Castro, according to CBS News.
The charges stem from the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during the Trump administration's Operation Metro Surge, a large
immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota's Twin Cities region. Minnesota prosecutors allege Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis while six people, including two children, were inside. Authorities said the bullet later lodged in a child's bedroom wall.
Castro also faces Minnesota state charges alleging he assaulted Sosa-Celis and falsely reported a crime.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has refused to extradite Castro to Minnesota, prompting an ongoing legal fight between the two states. Castro was released from a Texas jail last week after a judge declined to order his return to Minnesota.
Federal case follows shifting accounts of shooting
In the days after the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security said Castro acted in self-defense after Sosa-Celis and another man attacked him with a broomstick and shovel while trying to evade arrest. Then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described the confrontation as an attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer.
But court filings, video evidence and investigators later contradicted key parts of that account, according to CBS News.
An FBI affidavit said another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, was the person officers had initially pursued. Cellphone video later obtained by media outlets also appeared to conflict with Castro's description of the encounter.
Federal prosecutors eventually dismissed assault charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna, citing newly discovered evidence that was materially inconsistent with the original allegations.
ICE previously questioned officers' testimony
The case took another turn in February when then acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said video evidence appeared to contradict sworn testimony from Castro and another officer, according to CBS News.
"Video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements," Lyons said. "Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation. Lying under oath is a serious federal offense."
Castro was later suspended without pay.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ICE officer charged with lying in Minnesota shooting case
