ICE agent charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man during crackdown
The ICE officer faces federal charges related to the January shooting in Minnesota.
ICE agent charged with lying about shooting Venezuelan man during crackdown
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent has been charged with lying about the non-fatal shooting of a Venezuelan migrant in Minnesota.
Christian Castro, who was released from custody in Texas last week, faces federal charges tied to the shooting on 14 January, according to the BBC's US media partner CBS.
The Department of Homeland Security originally said Castro fired in self-defence after being attacked by three Venezuelan illegal migrants with a shovel and broom handle. Minnesota investigators allege the agent fired through a closed door and shot the man in the leg.
It is unusual for the current justice department to accuse a federal agent of breaking the law while on the job.
CBS reports that the federal grand jury in Castro's case returned a six-count indictment against him on Wednesday.
According to US media, officials expect the indictment to be made public once Castro is in custody.
The charges against him follow the Texas governor's refusal to extradite Castro to Minnesota, where he faces separate charges of assault and false reporting of a crime connected to the shooting.
He was arrested in Texas in May and spent three months in jail.
Castro was among thousands of federal immigration officers sent to Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge, which triggered intense protests and led to the deaths of two US citizens at the hands of agents during confrontations.
Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot in the leg and survived, were initially charged with forcibly assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers.
After surveillance video raised doubts about that account, federal prosecutors investigated the officers.
In February, ICE said two immigration agents may have made "untruthful statements" about the shooting. They were placed on administrative leave.
The charges against the migrants were dropped, with prosecutors citing "newly discovered evidence", CBS reported.
Castro was arrested in Texas in May and Minnesota's top prosecutor sought to have him extradited to face trial, also filing a lawsuit last month to force Texas Governor Greg Abbott to approve extradition.
Abbott said he did not approve the request because he had "serious doubts" that Castro qualified as a fugitive.
State officials have said Castro fired his weapon through the front door of a home "knowing there were people who had just run inside".
They said the bullet passed through the door and struck one victim in the leg, with its final impact in the wall of a child's room.