ICE agent arrested in US in Minneapolis shooting case — Jerusalem Post
In Minneapolis, United States, Christian Castro, an agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was arrested after being sought on assault charges following the shooting of a Venezuelan citizen. According to the Jerusalem Post, agents of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension detained Castro downtown on Wednesday and took him to the Hennepin County jail on an active warrant.
Charges over the shooting
The case concerns an incident on January 14, when Castro shot Venezuelan citizen Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg through the door of his apartment. Children were inside the residence at the time.
In Minnesota, the agent was charged with assault and making a false report of a crime. According to prosecutors, Castro told U.S. Department of Homeland Security leadership that Sosa-Celis and other people attacked him with a snow shovel and a broom. The publication noted that video recordings refuted this claim.
Castro also appeared in federal court in McAllen, Texas, on charges of providing investigators with false information about the circumstances of the shooting. In early September, he was detained again in Texas after a federal grand jury issued an indictment. Earlier this month, he was released on bail from federal custody.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Extradition dispute
After the shooting, Castro returned to his home state of Texas, after which Minnesota authorities issued a warrant for his arrest. Texas Rangers detained the agent, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott refused to sign extradition documents sent by Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Abbott questioned whether Castro could be considered a fugitive from justice, as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security transferred him to Texas after the incident. Castro spent 90 days in a county jail in Texas and was released on August 27 after a federal judge rejected Minnesota's demand for immediate extradition.
According to attorney Daniel Gerdts, Castro was voluntarily traveling from Texas to Minneapolis to surrender to authorities at his defense lawyer's office, but he was detained minutes before his planned arrival. The Department of Homeland Security suspended Castro from his ICE duties. According to a source, an investigation was also opened into a possible civil rights violation in connection with the shooting.
