WASHINGTON, DC—An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was charged by state prosecutors in Minnesota on Monday in connection with the January shooting of a Venezuelan migrant.
Christian Castro, 52, faces four felony charges of assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty said at a televised press conference.
Castro was one of two federal immigration agents placed on leave earlier this year for allegedly lying about the January 14 shooting in Minneapolis of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was wounded in the leg.
The shooting of Sosa-Celis came one week after a federal agent in Minneapolis shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old American citizen and mother of three.
Good’s death inflamed protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration raids in the city and a second killing of US citizen Alex Pretti in late January fueled a national backlash against the aggressive Minneapolis crackdown.
Moriarty said a nationwide warrant has been issued for Castro’s arrest.
“His federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota,” she said.
“I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again,” she said. “There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal officers who commit crimes in this state.”
Moriarty said Castro had fired a shot through the front door of a residence, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg.
“He shot through the door of a home with many people, including children, inside, while fortunately missing several others,” she said.
Federal prosecutors initially filed assault charges against Sosa-Celis and another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, but later dropped them.
