ICE Officer Charged After Prosecutors Say Migrant Shooting Story Was False

An arrest warrant has been issued for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan migrant and lying about the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Monday that ICE officer Christian Castro has been charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime involving an attempted arrest in January, according to NBC News.

Castro is accused of firing his weapon at the front door of a Minneapolis home “with the intent to cause fear of immediate bodily harm or death to the four adults who were just inside the door,” Moriarty said during a Monday news conference.

“Mr. 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,” Moriarty said.

According to Moriarty, the bullet pierced the front door and struck Venezuelan migrant Jose Sosa-Celis in the leg before traveling through a closet and lodging in the wall of a child’s bedroom.

At the time of the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Sosa-Celis tried to “evade arrest” before he “began to resist and violently assault” a federal officer.

DHS said two other individuals came out of a nearby apartment and began attacking the officer “with a snow shovel and broom handle.” Sosa-Celis then “got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broomstick.”

The officer “fired a defensive shot” after “fearing for his life and safety,” hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg, DHS said. Sosa-Celis and the two others “ran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside” before ICE arrested the trio.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons announced in February the opening of a federal investigation after video footage showed that “sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements.” The officers were also placed on administrative leave.

“Lying under oath is a serious federal offense,” Lyons said.

“The men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,” he said. “Violations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated. ICE remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the fair enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws.”

A federal judge dismissed charges against the two migrants in February after the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota filed a motion to dismiss, citing “newly discovered evidence” that was “materially inconsistent with the allegations” made against the pair, according to the Associated Press.

During Monday’s press conference, Moriarty said Castro “was not under any physical threat when he fired his weapon, or even beforehand,” according to NBC News.

“He was not hit by a shovel or a broom. In fact, he was not hit at all,” she said.

The latest charges come a month after Moriarty issued a separate arrest warrant for another ICE officer accused of flashing a gun at motorists while passing them on a highway.

The Minnesota State Patrol received a 911 call in February from the alleged victims who said a driver pulled up next to them on the shoulder of a highway and pointed a gun at them, Moriarty said at an earlier press conference.

The Trump administration pulled back its deployment of hundreds of federal agents to the Twin Cities after the deadly, immigration officer-involved shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

President Donald Trump also sent his border czar, Tom Homan, to quell the chaos and broker agreements between ICE and local authorities.

Trump subsequently fired then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the wake of the two fatal shootings.