A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged in the nonfatal shooting earlier this year of a Venezuelan man in Minneapolis was arrested in Texas on Friday, more than a week after prosecutors announced the charges, officials in Minnesota said.
The federal agent, Christian Castro, was charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis, according to the Hennepin County attorney.
Agents with the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General agents and Texas Rangers carried out the arrest Friday morning with Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigators present at the scene, according to the Hennepin County attorney.
The Minnesota investigators had located Castro and traveled to Texas this week, the attorney said.
"Today's arrest is a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement Friday. "The BCA's investigative work was instrumental in this process and we're grateful for their collaboration as we pursue accountability for this incident on behalf of Mr. Sosa-Celis, his family, and our community."
According to Moriarty, Castro fired his service weapon at the front door of the home, "knowing there were people who had just run inside that presented absolutely no threat to him or anyone else," she said during a news conference earlier this month announcing the charges.
The bullet struck Sosa-Celis in the leg, passed through a closet and lodged in the wall of a child's bedroom, according to Moriarty. She added that Castro was not under any physical threat when he opened fire and that claims from government officials that he had been struck with a shovel or broom were false.
A spokesperson for ICE called the charges a "political stunt" but also said officers involved are being investigated by the U.S. attorney's office for "lying under oath" and may "face disciplinary action, including termination of employment, as well as potential criminal prosecution."
Bail for Castro had been set at $200,000.
Moriarty's office said Friday that the state charges are "likely to result in an attempt to 'remove' this case to federal court."
"Should a judge grant removal, it will still be prosecuted by HCAO attorneys, under Minnesota Statute," the office said. "And should it end in conviction, it will be ineligible for presidential pardon."
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.