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ICE Officer Faces Federal Charges for Lying Over Shooting of Venezuelan Immigrant
Confirmed
In Short: An ICE officer, Christian Castro, faces new federal charges for making false statements about a shooting incident that left a Venezuelan immigrant injured.
Christian Castro, who is not yet in custody, faces a six-count federal indictment related to a shooting on January 14, according to reports from CBS and the BBC.
Initially, the Department of Homeland Security claimed he fired in self-defense after being attacked by three Venezuelan immigrants with a shovel and broom handle. However, in February, ICE admitted that two agents might have made 'untruthful statements' about the incident.
The charges against the migrants were later dismissed due to 'newly discovered evidence,' CBS reported. Castro is now facing federal charges for making false statements to the FBI about the shooting, which left Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis with a gunshot wound in his leg.
A federal prosecutor working on the case against Castro was fired, and Castro is currently in Texas, where a federal judge ruled against extraditing him to Minnesota to face the charges. State law enforcement is ready to assist in his arrest if needed.
What's confirmed
What's still developing
- Christian Castro, who is not yet in custody, faces a six-count federal indictment relating to shooting on 14 January, according to the BBC's US media partner CBS.
- The Department of Homeland Security initially said he fired in self-defence after being attacked by three Venezuelan illegal migrants with a shovel and broom handle.
- In February, ICE said two immigration agents might have made "untruthful statements" about the shooting.
- The charges against the migrants were dismissed, with prosecutors citing "newly discovered evidence", CBS reported.
- A federal grand jury on Wednesday returned an indictment charging the officer, Christian Castro, with making false statements to the FBI about the Jan. 14 shooting that left Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis with a gunshot…
- The Associated Press first reported on Castro’s latest federal charges.
- Federal authorities had initially accused Sosa-Celis and another man of beating an immigration officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel in a confrontation that preceded the shooting, but federal prosecutors…
- As news broke of Castro’s latest indictment, a federal prosecutor working on the case against Castro was fired, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News.