ICE officer charged with lying in Minnesota shooting case

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been federally charged for allegedly lying to investigators about the January shooting of a Venezuelan immigrant during an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, according to multiple news reports.

Christian Castro, who already faces criminal charges in Minnesota in connection with the shooting, was indicted Sept. 2 by a federal grand jury on six counts of making false statements, CBS News and MS Now reported. The indictment remained under seal Sept. 3, and law enforcement officers were attempting to locate Castro, according to CBS News.

The charges stem from the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis during the Trump administration's Operation Metro Surge, a large immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota's Twin Cities region. Minnesota prosecutors allege Castro fired through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis while six people, including two children, were inside. Authorities said the bullet later lodged in a child's bedroom wall.

Castro also faces Minnesota state charges alleging he assaulted Sosa-Celis and falsely reported a crime.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has refused to extradite Castro to Minnesota, prompting an ongoing legal fight between the two states. Castro was released from a Texas jail last week…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/