ICE agent charged in north Minneapolis shooting arrested in Texas

New Minneapolis ICE shooting video undermines feds' account

A new video released by the City of Minneapolis shows the ICE shooting of Julio C. Sosa-Celis on Jan. 14. The video undermines federal authorities' account of what happened that night.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who was charged in a north Minneapolis shooting has been arrested in Texas Friday morning. 

ICE agent arrested, facing charges in MN

ICE agent charged in Minneapolis shooting of Venezuelan man

An ICE agent has been charged in connection with the January shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis. FOX 9's Maury Glover has the story.

What we know:

Christian Castro, 52, was charged via warrant on May 18 with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis. 

Castro was arrested on Friday by the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General, Texas Rangers and Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agents in Cameron County, Texas, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office (HCAO). 

HCAO says that the state charges are "likely to result in an attempt to 'remove' this case to federal court." If this "removal" is granted by the judge, HCAO will still prosecute the case, and if it ends in conviction, it will not be eligible for a presidential pardon. 

What they're saying:

"Today’s arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. "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."

"In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under the law. That means nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said. "I am pleased to hear Christian Castro has been taken into custody and will stand trial for the crimes he allegedly committed in Minnesota. Justice demands no less. Christian Castro's alleged shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis appears unwarranted, as evidenced by the lies Castro told his ICE supervisors to justify his unlawful actions. He remains innocent unless and until proven guilty."

ICE agents charges

The backstory:

According to the criminal complaint, Castro allegedly fired a gunshot into a north Minneapolis home "knowing it was occupied by multiple individuals," striking Sosa-Celis in the leg. Investigators recovered a 9mm shell casing outside the home and documented a bullet trajectory traveling through the front door and multiple interior walls before lodging in a child's bedroom wall.

The complaint states that Castro gave false accounts of the confrontation to fellow ICE agents, medical staff and the FBI. He claimed he had been attacked with a broom and shovel before he fired his weapon. Prosecutors say those claims were contradicted by surveillance video, witness statements and physical evidence.

READ MORE: ICE agent charged in Minneapolis shooting of Venezuelan man

According to the complaint, four adults and two children were inside the home at the time of the shooting. Investigators said ICE agents surrounded the home after the shooting, deployed tear gas and later entered the residence, taking four adults into custody. The complaint states paramedics were not allowed access to Sosa-Celis for nearly an hour after he was shot in the leg.