ICE agent charged with shooting, wounding Minneapolis man is arrested in Texas
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The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged in the January shooting of a Venezuelan man in north Minneapolis has been arrested.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Christian Castro, 52, was arrested Friday morning in Texas.
“Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators located Mr. Castro and traveled to Texas this week,” the county attorney’s office said in a news release. “He was arrested by Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General agents and Texas Rangers with the BCA investigators present at the scene.”
Castro was charged earlier this month with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
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He’s accused of firing through the front door of a duplex in north Minneapolis, striking Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg while other people, including children, were inside the home.
The shooting happened Jan. 14, during the federal immigration enforcement surge in the Twin Cities.
According to the criminal complaint, Sosa-Celis and another man had already run inside the home when Castro allegedly fired through the closed door. Prosecutors say surveillance video and ShotSpotter audio contradict Castro’s account that he fired in self-defense.
“Today’s arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a news release Friday. “The BCA’s investigative work was instrumental in this process and we’re grateful for their collaboration as we pursue accountability for this incident on behalf of Mr. Sosa-Celis, his family, and our community.”
At the time charges were filed against Castro, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson criticized those charges as politically motivated — and said the agency was investigating whether agents involved in the case made false statements. DHS said at the time that the agents could face disciplinary action, including termination or criminal prosecution, if wrongdoing is confirmed.
