Minneapolis, Minnesota – A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been arrested over the alleged shooting of a Venezuelan national during Operation Metro Surge in January.
Christian Castro was arrested on Friday nearly two weeks after a Minnesota prosecutor charged him with second-degree assault and falsely reporting a crime over the nonfatal shooting of Julio C. Sosa-Celis in January.
The 52-year-old ICE agent shot through Sosa-Celis's front door on January 14, hitting the Venezuelan man in the leg and lodging a bullet into the wall of a child's bedroom.
This makes Castro the second federal officer to be charged by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, Minneapolis' chief state prosecutor, since the beginning of 2026.
Sosa-Celis' shooting came only a week after another federal agent shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in broad daylight on the streets of Minneapolis. A little over a week later, Alex Pretti was shot and killed by another officer.
According to prosecutors, Castro shot Sosa-Celis unlawfully while pursuing another man. Six people, including two children, were inside the home at the time.
Castro also faces accusations of falsely reporting the incident.
"In Minnesota, we believe in equal justice under the law," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement on May 29. "That means nobody is above the law, including agents of the federal government."
"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."
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Reuters that Castro's prosecution was "nothing more than a political stunt" and insisted that any wrongdoing "must be handled at the federal level."