DHS says Castro fired a defensive shot after being ambushed and beaten with a shovel and broom
U.S. Immigration and Customs EnforcementFederal immigration-enforcement agency, in a press release published on DHS's website
In a press release the day after the shooting, DHS said Castro pursued Sosa-Celis on foot after a vehicle chase, that two other men then attacked Castro with a snow shovel and broom handle as he struggled with Sosa-Celis, and that Castro fired a single defensive shot because he feared for his life. The release named Sosa-Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma as the three men involved and called all three "violent criminal illegal aliens."
Responding to
Officer Christian Castro was ambushed and beaten with a snow shovel and broom handle by Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and two other men, and fired a single defensive shot because he feared for his life.
“Attempting to evade arrest, Sosa-Celis fled the scene in his vehicle, crashed into a parked car, and proceeded to flee on foot. The law enforcement officer pursued Sosa-Celis also on foot, caught up to him, and attempted to apprehend him when Sosa-Celis began to resist and violently assault the officer. While Sosa-Celis and law enforcement were in a struggle on the ground, two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle. As the officer was being ambushed and attacked by the two individuals, Sosa-Celis got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick. Fearing for his life and safety as he was being ambushed by three individuals, the officer fired a defensive shot to defend his life.”
Official statement
Other statements by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in this case
- Lyons says video evidence indicates two officers’ sworn testimony “appears to have made untruthful statements”Later: Challenged the characterization
Where this statement fits
Was ICE Officer Christian Castro Justified in Shooting Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis?
On January 14, 2026, ICE officer Christian Castro fired his service weapon through the closed front door of a north Minneapolis home during a foot pursuit that followed a traffic stop, wounding 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in the leg. The Department of Homeland Security said the following day that Castro had been ambushed and beaten with a snow shovel and broom handle by Sosa-Celis, Alfredo Aljorna and a third man, Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma, and fired a defensive shot fearing for his life; federal prosecutors initially charged Sosa-Celis and Aljorna with assaulting Castro. Sosa-Celis and Aljorna told investigators they had not attacked Castro, and habeas corpus petitions filed on behalf of their partners disputed DHS's account. On February 12, 2026, federal prosecutors dismissed the charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna with prejudice, citing newly discovered evidence materially inconsistent with the allegations; the next day, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said a joint ICE-DOJ review of video evidence indicated two officers' sworn testimony appeared untruthful, and placed them on administrative leave. In May 2026, Hennepin County prosecutors charged Castro with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime, alleging he was not attacked and fired at Sosa-Celis and Aljorna after they had already gone inside the home, where children were present. In September 2026, following a monthslong dispute over his extradition from Texas, federal prosecutors separately indicted Castro on six counts of making materially false statements to the FBI about the shooting. Castro has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges; the state charges and the underlying dispute over whether his use of force was justified remain unresolved.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
DHS's original press release on the shooting. It names three men, Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, Alfredo Alejandro Ajorna (a spelling later reports give as "Aljorna") and Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma, as having violently attacked the officer, and quotes Secretary Noem calling it an attempted murder of federal law enforcement. The release's second paragraph gives the incident date as "January 14, 2025", an apparent typographical error; the release date and all other dates in the document, and every other source, place the shooting on January 14, 2026. As of September 22, 2026, this release remained published on DHS's website without a correction or retraction, a fact separately noted by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The shooting occurred the previous evening, January 14, 2026, in north Minneapolis during a targeted immigration enforcement operation.
After the quotation
DHS's release did not name the officer. Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were federally charged with assaulting the officer on the basis of this account. This press release remained published, uncorrected, on DHS's website as of this record's access date.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
DHS's account directly argues Castro's shot was a justified defensive response to a life-threatening ambush, expressly excusing the use of force.
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- Christian Castro
More from this case
Read the full caseAmnesty condemns the shooting
Amnesty International
“unlawful use of lethal force”Read statement
Justice Department says indictment challenges Castro's account of the shooting
United States Department of Justice
“Castro was indicted on six counts of knowingly and willfully making materially false statements to the FBI during the interview on or about Jan. 14.”Read statement
ACLU of Minnesota calls the shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis a shocking attack
ACLU of Minnesota
“According to criminal charges later filed against Castro by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, Castro fired through the closed front door while standing in the front yard and under no physical threat. The bullet struck Sosa-Celis before entering the wall of a child’s bedroom. This shocking attack occurred at the height of Operation Metro Surge, during which federal agents committed some of the most flagrant constitutional violations we have witnessed in the United States since the civil rights era.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "DHS says Castro fired a defensive shot after being ambushed and beaten with a shovel and broom". First published: 2026-09-22. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1399-in-a-press-release-the-day-after-the