[UPDATE] ICE officer Castro pleads not guilty to 6 counts of lying, released on $75,000 bond
Prosecutors say the struggle he described as three minutes lasted about 11 seconds.
Christian Castro pleaded not guilty to all six federal false-statement counts over the Jan. 14, 2026 shooting of Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis. A judge released him on a $75,000 unsecured bond with a GPS ankle monitor: he paid nothing up front and owes the money only if he fails to appear. Minnesota's separate state assault case is still pending.
PREVIOUSLY
- Jan. 14 — ICE officer Christian Castro shot Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis through a closed door in Minneapolis. DHS called it an ambush.
- Late Aug. — Castro walked out of a Texas jail after roughly three months, once Gov. Greg Abbott declined to sign Minnesota's extradition warrant and the state's 90-day hold expired.
- Sep. 4 — A federal grand jury indicted Castro on six counts of lying to the FBI. ProPublica reported that Justice Department leaders overruled the lead prosecutor, who wanted a civil rights charge and was fired that day.
What prosecutors say he made up:
- Prosecutors say Castro claimed he was attacked with a broom and shovel before he fired through a closed door.
- DHS and then-Secretary Kristi Noem had publicly called the shooting an 'ambush' and 'attempted murder.'