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An arrest warrant has been issued for an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan migrant and lying about the circumstances surrounding the incident.<\/p>\n
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Monday that ICE officer Christian Castro has been charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime involving an attempted arrest in January, according<\/a> to NBC News.<\/p>\n Castro is accused of firing his weapon at the front door of a Minneapolis home \u201cwith the intent to cause fear of immediate bodily harm or death to the four adults who were just inside the door,\u201d Moriarty said during a Monday news conference.<\/p>\n \u201cMr. 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,\u201d Moriarty said.<\/p>\n According to Moriarty, the bullet pierced the front door and struck Venezuelan migrant Jose Sosa-Celis in the leg before traveling through a closet and lodging in the wall of a child\u2019s bedroom.<\/p>\n At the time of the shooting, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed<\/a> that Sosa-Celis tried to \u201cevade arrest\u201d before he \u201cbegan to\u00a0resist and violently assault\u201d a federal officer.<\/p>\n DHS said two other individuals came out of a nearby apartment and began attacking the officer \u201cwith a snow shovel and broom handle.\u201d Sosa-Celis then \u201cgot loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broomstick.\u201d<\/p>\n The officer \u201cfired a defensive shot\u201d after \u201cfearing for his life and safety,\u201d hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg, DHS said. Sosa-Celis and the two others \u201cran back into the apartment and barricaded themselves inside\u201d before ICE arrested the trio.<\/p>\n Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons announced in February the opening of a federal investigation after video footage showed that \u201csworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements.\u201d The officers were also placed on administrative leave.<\/p>\n \u201cLying under oath is a serious federal offense,\u201d Lyons said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe men and women of ICE are entrusted with upholding the rule of law and are held to the highest standards of professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct,\u201d he said. \u201cViolations of this sacred sworn oath will not be tolerated. ICE remains fully committed to transparency, accountability, and the fair enforcement of our nation\u2019s immigration laws.\u201d<\/p>\n A federal judge dismissed charges against the two migrants in February after the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota filed a motion to dismiss, citing \u201cnewly discovered evidence\u201d that was \u201cmaterially inconsistent with the allegations\u201d made against the pair, according<\/a> to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n During Monday\u2019s press conference, Moriarty said Castro \u201cwas not under any physical threat when he fired his weapon, or even beforehand,\u201d according to NBC News.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was not hit by a shovel or a broom. In fact, he was not hit at all,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n