Christian Castro, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent accused of making false statements about a January shooting in north Minneapolis, has been booked into the Hennepin County Jail as he faces both state and federal criminal proceedings.
The 52-year-old Castro was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon in Minneapolis by agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Authorities said he was arrested around 2:15 p.m. near Second Avenue South and Third Street and booked on an active warrant.
Castro is accused of shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan man, during an encounter on Jan. 14 in north Minneapolis amid Operation Metro Surge. He has pleaded not guilty to six federal counts alleging that he knowingly made materially false statements to FBI investigators following the shooting.
According to the federal indictment, Castro and another ICE officer were attempting to stop a 26-year-old Venezuelan man when a struggle occurred outside a north Minneapolis duplex. Sosa-Celis, who was 24 at the time and lived at the home, became involved as he tried to assist the man.
The indictment says the physical confrontation lasted about 11 seconds before the two men ran into the duplex. As the front door was closing, Castro allegedly drew his service weapon and fired a single round through the door.
The bullet struck Sosa-Celis in the leg before continuing through the entryway and lodging in a wall inside the home. Several people were inside the duplex at the time, including children.
Federal prosecutors allege that Castro later gave investigators a different account of what happened. During an interview with the FBI on the night of the shooting, he said he had been attacked with a broom and a snow shovel and described a much longer physical struggle before firing his weapon.
Surveillance footage and other evidence later raised questions about that account.
The federal indictment filed in September alleges six separate instances in which Castro made materially false statements during that interview. Each count carries a potential maximum sentence of five years if he is convicted, although an indictment itself is not a finding of guilt.
Castro is also facing a separate Minnesota prosecution stemming from the shooting. State prosecutors have charged him with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime. Those charges were filed in May after investigators concluded that the shooting occurred while people were inside the residence.
The case has also involved a lengthy legal dispute over Castro’s return to Minnesota. He was arrested in Texas in May and spent about 90 days in custody while Minnesota authorities sought his extradition. A Texas federal judge later declined to require his continued detention, and Castro was released in late August.
His return to Minnesota came shortly afterward, where he was taken into custody on the outstanding state warrant.
Castro has been suspended without pay from the Department of Homeland Security. He is expected to appear in Hennepin County District Court Thursday before a federal court appearance scheduled for Friday.
The shooting has remained a closely watched case connected to Operation Metro Surge, and additional legal proceedings will determine how the state and federal allegations against Castro move forward.
Castro is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
