ICE officer charged with lying in shooting of Venezuelan man

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, Christian Castro, has been charged with six counts of lying to investigators regarding the January shooting of a Venezuelan man, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. The federal indictment, unsealed Friday, alleges Castro falsely claimed he was being attacked with a broom and shovel before he fired his weapon, hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg. The allegations mirror state charges of assault and false reporting brought against Castro in Minnesota.

Federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis and another man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, with assault, but dropped the charges after video evidence suggested Castro may have lied about the encounter. Castro was suspended from ICE in February. Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to immediately sign an extradition warrant for Castro to Minnesota, leading to his surrender to federal authorities.

The federal investigation reportedly caused internal turmoil, with a prosecutor, Matthew Evans, accusing superiors of blocking more serious civil rights charges. Evans has since been fired and is under investigation. Sosa-Celis' lawyer, Robin Wolpert, is seeking stiffer charges against Castro, stating his statements were made to cover up shooting the client through the door of an occupied house without justification. The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota stated Sosa-Celis also plans to seek damages from the federal government.