Suspended ICE officer Christian Castro, accused of fabricating snow shovel ambush after shooting Minneapolis man, faces federal indictment

An ICE deportation officer shot through a duplex door in Minneapolis and lied about being beaten with tools, federal prosecutors said.

Christian Jeremiah Castro, 52, is a deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

On January 14, 2026, Castro and another deportation officer attempted to stop a vehicle in Minneapolis, Minnesota, prosecutors said.

A 26-year-old Venezuelan man was driving the vehicle, according to court documents.

The driver did not pull over, according to investigators.

Castro pursued the vehicle before continuing the chase on foot, according to court documents.

The officer then attempted to apprehend the driver in the front yard of a north Minneapolis duplex, prosecutors said.

Castro and the driver struggled on the ground in the yard, according to federal prosecutors.

Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, 24, who lived at the duplex, then came outside and attempted to help the driver, prosecutors said.

The physical encounter between the three men lasted about 11 seconds, according to court records.

The driver eventually broke free from Castro, prosecutors said.

He and Sosa-Celis then ran toward the duplex and entered through the front door, according to court documents.

The two men went inside and began closing the door behind them, prosecutors said.

Castro stood up, drew his service weapon and fired one round through the front door, prosecutors alleged.

The gunfire struck Sosa-Celis in the leg, according to court documents.

The bullet continued through the entryway of the duplex, prosecutors said. It lodged inside a wall in the downstairs apartment.

Multiple people were inside the residence when Castro fired the shot, according to prosecutors.

Children were among the occupants inside the home at the time, court documents state.

Later that night, an FBI agent interviewed Castro about the shooting, according to the indictment.

Castro told the agent that an unknown man grabbed a red broom from the porch and struck him while he tried to handcuff the driver, the indictment states.

Castro allegedly said another man then came outside and hit him with a black snow shovel, according to investigators.

The driver slipped out of his sweater during the struggle, Castro claimed.

The officer told the FBI that the driver then stood up and hit him with the broom while Castro was still down, according to the indictment.

Castro claimed the men dropped the broom and shovel only after he reached for his weapon, federal prosecutors said.

He told investigators the two men then started running toward the duplex, according to the indictment.

Castro said he lifted his back from the ground and fired one shot in their direction, prosecutors said.

The officer also stated that he believed the fight on the ground had lasted about three minutes, according to court documents.

Federal prosecutors allege that account was false.

Castro was not struck with a broom or shovel in the manner he claimed, the indictment states.

The officer was standing upright when he fired through the door as the men fled, according to prosecutors.

Investigators later reviewed surveillance footage of the confrontation, according to court records.

Video showed a man holding a shovel earlier in the encounter, according to investigators. But the shovel was discarded before Castro approached and sat on the ground during the fight.

Sosa-Celis and another Venezuelan man were initially arrested and charged with assaulting federal officers, court records show.

Those assault charges were later dismissed, according to court records. Newly discovered evidence contradicted significant portions of the claims used to file the cases.

ICE suspended Castro without pay in February after evidence surfaced that conflicted with his account, court documents state.

The gunfire also triggered state criminal charges in Minnesota, prosecutors said.

On May 18, 2026, Minnesota prosecutors charged Castro with four felony counts of second-degree assault, according to court records.

The state also charged him with one misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime, court records show.

Authorities issued a nationwide warrant for his arrest following the state charges, according to records.

On May 29, 2026, officers arrested Castro in Texas, according to court documents.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz subsequently requested that Castro be extradited to Minnesota to face the charges, officials said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott did not sign the extradition warrant, according to court documents. Castro was held until he reached the 90-day statutory detention limit in Texas.

Castro was released from Texas custody after the deadline passed, though the Minnesota warrant remained active, according to records.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison later filed a lawsuit against Abbott to compel the extradition, court records show.

Federal authorities continued investigating Castro’s initial statements while the state proceedings stalled, prosecutors said.

The shooting took place during Operation Metro Surge, an immigration enforcement operation underway in Minnesota, federal officials said.

The resulting case is the first Justice Department prosecution of a federal officer stemming from the operation, prosecutors said.

On September 2, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Castro on six counts of knowingly and willfully making materially false statements, court records show.

The counts focus on his statements about being beaten with tools, the fight duration, his firing posture and how the men fled, prosecutors said.

Castro surrendered to federal authorities in Texas following the indictment, officials said.

On September 4, 2026, Castro appeared before a federal magistrate judge, according to court records.

The magistrate judge released the officer on a $75,000 unsecured bond with GPS monitoring, court records show.

Castro had not formally entered a plea in court records, though his attorneys said he intended to plead not guilty, documents show.

Each false-statement count carries a statutory maximum penalty of up to five years in federal prison, prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors said the investigation remains ongoing and additional charges have not been ruled out.

Castro is scheduled to appear in federal court in Minnesota on September 18.