State Watch

ICE officer charged in nonfatal Minneapolis shooting during Operation Metro Surge

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by Ryan Mancini - 05/18/26 2:59 PM ET

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by Ryan Mancini - 05/18/26 2:59 PM ET

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Hennepin County, Minn., Attorney Mary Moriarty on Monday issued an arrest warrant for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan immigrant in Minneapolis in January, during the height of “Operation Metro Surge.”

Christian Castro, 52, faces four counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime, Moriarty said at a press conference.

Castro is accused of shooting Julio Sosa-Celis on Jan. 14, one week after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, which stirred protests across Minnesota and across the country. Protests against federal immigration enforcement grew after another officer shot and killed Alex Pretti. Both Good and Pretti were killed in Minneapolis.

Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg, “through the door of a home with many people, including children, inside, while fortunately missing several others,” Moriarty said.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) previously told The Hill that the “subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed into a parked car” before running away on foot. Two other people ambushed the officer and the subject.

“Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life,” former DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement at the time. “The initial subject was hit in the leg.”

Morarity said that the accounts from ICE officers and eyewitnesses about the moments leading up to the shooting did not line up, prompting the investigation and subsequent charges.

“His federal badge does not make him immune from state charges for his criminal conduct in Minnesota,” she said.

Moriarty said her office will prosecute Castro. She noted that although her office does not know his whereabouts, there are “mechanisms” in place that will help find him.

The Hill has reached out to the DHS for comment about the charges against Castro.

The charges mark the second time an ICE officer who was part of “Operation Metro Surge” has been charged. Moriarty pointed to last month’s charges against Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., who was charged with two counts of second-degree assault in connection with pointing a weapon at drivers while he drove back to the Whipple Federal Building, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.

Moriarty told reporters that neither of the officers who shot Good and Pretti have been charged.

She noted that the case against Castro is not likely going to conclude at the end of her term in 2027. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who also spoke with reporters, said the case will continue after Moriarty leaves office.

“I’ll simply say that we’re committed to the final resolution to this matter on the basis of justice,” Ellison said. ” … She doesn’t have to fear that we’re not going to carry on.”

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