Criminal charges are now filed against a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who allegedly shot and wounded a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis and then lied about it.
Christian J. Castro, 52, faces four felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced on Monday.
The case stems from a Jan. 14 chase that resulted in the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national who the Department of Homeland Security claimed had fled from a traffic stop and was shot after retreating from a struggle with the ICE officer.
Homeland Security initially said three people assaulted the ICE officer with a snow shovel and broom handles, but video of the incident released by the City of Minneapolis contradicts that claim. Witnesses had also said the agent shot at Sosa-Celis through the front door of his home.
