MINNEAPOLIS, MN — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged in a January shooting in north Minneapolis must surrender his passport, cannot possess weapons and will be electronically monitored as conditions of his release, a Hennepin County judge ruled Thursday.
Christian Castro, 52, made his first appearance in Hennepin County District Court on Thursday, Sept. 17.
He is charged with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime.
The judge set bail at $400,000 without conditions or $200,000 with conditions, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. Prosecutors had asked for $500,000 and $350,000, respectively.
Under the conditional bail, Castro must abide by these terms:
• No contact with witnesses
• No possession of weapons
• Surrender of his passport
• Electronic monitoring
• Supervised release
• A pre-signed waiver of extradition
Minnesota officials spent months trying to bring Castro back from Texas, where he was held from late May until Aug. 27 after Gov. Greg Abbott declined to sign extradition paperwork.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested Castro in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
Prosecutors say Castro fired his weapon through a front door on Jan. 14 into a home with multiple people inside.
The bullet struck Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg and lodged in the wall of a child's bedroom, according to the county attorney's office. Prosecutors also say Castro falsely reported what happened. Federal charges filed against Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Aljorna based on those reports were later dismissed after video contradicted them.
Castro also faces a separate federal indictment on six counts of making materially false statements to the FBI about the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Castro, like every defendant, is entitled to a fair trial and will receive one.
Castro's next state court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 3 at 1:30 p.m.
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