First DOJ prosecution of an officer for on-duty conduct under Trump
Christian Castro, a 52-year-old Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges he lied to the FBI about the Jan. 14 shooting of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis, according to United Press International. Castro was indicted earlier this month on six counts of making false statements to the FBI after he allegedly shot an unarmed man during a chase. The case marks the first time the Justice Department has charged an officer for conduct that happened on duty during President Donald Trump’s second administration.
The chase occurred Jan. 14, when Castro was one of thousands of ICE agents in Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge. Castro mistakenly followed Alfredo Aljorna while seeking a different man, then allegedly fired at Aljorna and his roommate, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, through the door of their home. Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg.
Department of Homeland Security officials initially said Castro fired a “defensive shot” after the men attacked him with a snow shovel and a broom. Investigators later determined the men, who are in the United States legally on temporary protected status, had dropped the items and run away.
Castro also faces separate state charges of assault and falsely reporting a crime over the incident. On Thursday, Hennepin County District Judge Paul Scoggin set bail at $200,000 on the state charges and required Castro to wear an ankle monitor and not possess firearms.
Castro had been at the center of a legal fight between Minnesota and Texas, which failed to approve an extradition request while Castro was held in a Texas jail for 90 days. Defense attorney Michael Wynn told The Hill that “Mr. Castro voluntarily went to Minneapolis to surrender himself, both in state court and in federal court, and he’s been released on bond, and we look forward to litigating these matters and to presenting our case in court and exonerating him.”
During Operation Metro Surge in January, ICE agents arrested thousands of people in the Twin Cities and fatally shot two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti.