Overview
- On Sept. 3 a federal grand jury returned a six‑count sealed indictment charging ICE agent Christian Castro with making false statements to investigators about the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa‑Celis.
- Minnesota prosecutors and a career assistant U.S. attorney had sought a deprivation‑of‑rights under color of law charge, but reporting says Main Justice directed that the case be narrowed to false‑statement counts.
- State records say Castro fired through the closed front door of a Minneapolis home on Jan. 14 and struck Sosa‑Celis in the leg while multiple people, including children, were inside.
- Castro was arrested in Texas in May on Minnesota charges, held for about 90 days, and released on Aug. 27 after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declined to sign extradition papers; Minnesota continues to press state charges.
- The case follows video and investigative findings that contradicted officers’ initial accounts, has prompted internal DHS and FBI probes, and produced fallout at DOJ including the removal or leave of the AUSA who objected to the charging decision.