U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, Christian Castro, appeared today in Minneapolis state court charged with shooting a Venezuelan man last January. The shooting occurred at a time when thousands of federal agents had been deployed to the Twin Cities area.
Court Appearance and Bail Conditions
Castro, who appeared in court in handcuffs and an orange prison jumpsuit, spoke very little during the session. By signing an agreement, he agreed to return to Minnesota quickly if he violated the conditions of his release. Joshua Larsen, senior deputy county attorney for Hennepin County, stated in court, "The state of Minnesota is certainly looking to avoid a return to the desperate situation we faced last month."
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Shooting Details
Castro had traveled from Texas to Minnesota, where he was released by authorities in August. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Castro in Minneapolis on Wednesday afternoon, ending a months-long standoff between the states of Minnesota and Texas. Minnesota officials have filed multiple counts of assault and false reporting against him for the shooting of Julio Sosa-Sels, a Venezuelan immigrant.
In court, one of Castro's attorneys, Daniel Gerdts, stated that he intended to voluntarily surrender to Minnesota state authorities, but was arrested before he could do so. Moriarty, the Hennepin County prosecutor, said at a news conference after the court session, "You can't determine how you will be arrested."
On January 14, Castro unlawfully fired at the front door of a house that Sosa-Sels was fleeing into. The bullet passed through Sosa-Sels' leg and struck the wall of a child's bedroom.
Following the shooting, the Department of Justice initially charged Sosa-Sels and another man with assault, but later dropped the charges after acknowledging that the officers, including Castro, had made false statements about the incident.
Castro is currently being held in a Minnesota county jail on a $200,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in federal court tomorrow. One of his attorneys, Rolando Canto, stated that Castro intends to plead "not guilty" to his federal and state charges.
The next session for Castro in state court is scheduled for November 3.
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Source: npr.org
