Key facts
- US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro pleaded not guilty to federal charges of lying to the FBI.
- Castro is accused of fabricating a story about being attacked before shooting Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg.
- Video evidence reportedly disproved Castro's account of the January 14 incident.
- Prosecutors allege Castro fired his gun through the front door of Sosa-Celis's home.
- The bullet fired by Castro lodged in the wall of a child's bedroom.
- Castro faces up to six years in prison on the federal charges.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Christian Castro pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges of lying to the FBI about an incident in January where he shot a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis. Castro, who has been suspended without pay, is accused of fabricating a story that he was attacked before firing his weapon.
Federal prosecutors allege that Castro lied when he told investigators that Julio Sosa-Celis, 24, and others were attacking him with a broom and snow shovel when he discharged his firearm. Castro's plea in the US District Court in Saint Paul follows separate state charges of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and falsely reporting a crime brought by Hennepin County prosecutors.
The legal battle to return Castro, who resides in Texas, to Minneapolis was lengthy, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott initially refusing to sign extradition papers. After his release from a Texas jail, Castro was arrested again when a federal grand jury handed down an indictment of six counts of making materially false statements, carrying a maximum sentence of six years in prison. He surrendered himself to authorities and was released on bail.
Prosecutors state that video evidence disproved Castro's account of the shooting, which occurred during a period of heightened immigration enforcement. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the video showed Castro standing and firing from a short distance through the front door of Sosa-Celis's home, wounding the man in the leg. Moriarty added that the bullet lodged in the wall of a child's bedroom. The county attorney's office is also investigating other federal immigration officers involved in separate fatal shootings in January.