ICE officer charged over statements in Minneapolis shooting
SCMP · 2 SOURCES1 day ago2 MIN
Summary
Federal prosecutors have charged U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer Christian Castro with making false statements to investigators over the events leading to the January shooting of Venezuelan man Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis. The federal case remains under seal and comes after Minnesota separately charged Castro with assault and false reporting of a crime tied to the same incident
Key Points
- A person familiar with the matter said Castro, accused of shooting Sosa-Celis in the leg in January, now faces a federal false-statements charge.
- The federal charges remain under seal and follow Castro’s release from jail last week after Texas Governor refused to immediately sign an extradition warrant to Minnesota
- Minnesota authorities have separately charged Castro with assault and false reporting of a crime arising from the same Minneapolis shooting
- Federal authorities had accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an officer with a broom handle and snow shovel, but later dropped those charges
- Prosecutors dropped the case after video evidence suggested officers may have lied about the confrontation, prompting a broader investigation into the encounter
- AP said the shooting happened during a Department of Homeland Security operation that sent thousands of officers to Minneapolis and St. Paul in its largest-ever immigration enforcement action
- Earlier this week, ProPublica reported prosecutor Matthew Evans told lawyers Justice Department officials blocked a more serious civil rights charge, but that account was disputed
- The person familiar with the investigation said the civil rights probe is still continuing, with no final decision yet on whether additional charges will be filed.
- The same person said Evans was fired on Thursday and is under investigation for alleged obstruction of a grand jury probe.
Why It Matters
The case has moved beyond the shooting itself to questions about whether officers misled investigators and whether more serious federal charges could still follow. For Hong Kong readers tracking U.S. immigration enforcement and rule-of-law debates, the dispute over video evidence, sealed charges and an ongoing civil rights probe shows the legal and political fallout is still unfolding.