Officer Christian Castro faces four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty.“Mr. Castro is an ICE agent, but his federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota,” Moriarty said, adding that Sosa-Celis never posed a threat. “There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal officers who commit crimes in this state or any other.”
On Jan. 14, Castro allegedly shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the thigh while pursuing another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna. Both men were in the country illegally.
The shooting occurred “through the door of a home with many people, including children, inside, while fortunately missing several others,” Moriarty said.
After the shooting, federal authorities accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of beating an ICE officer with a broomstick or a snow shovel during the incident, but those charges were later dropped after an investigation into whether the agents lied about the incident.
Both officers were put on administrative leave after the judge dismissed the claim.
