Hennepin County Attorney urges Texas Gov. Abbott to extradite ICE agent

(FOX 9) - Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is asking Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign the papers to extradite the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent charged in a non-fatal shooting in north Minneapolis. 

Moriarty asks Abbott to sign extradition paperwork

What we know:

Christian Castro, 52, was arrested in Cameron County, Texas on May 29 on a nationwide warrant issued in Hennepin County. He is charged with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime in connection with the Jan. 14 shooting of Julio Sosa-Celis. 

On July 30, Moriarty sent a letter to Gov. Abbott asking him to immediately review and sign Castro’s extradition paperwork, so his case can proceed in Minnesota. 

What they're saying:

"Texas law, under the Uniform Criminal Extradition Act (UCEA), provides a clear framework for interstate extradition," Moriarty wrote. "The process has been initiated in full compliance with both Texas and Minnesota statutes, and all procedural requirements have been met." 

In the letter, she also thanked the Texas Rangers and the Cameron County authorities for their help in arresting Castro. 

Moriarty said the prosecuting authority in Cameron County who worked with her office to file the fugitive complaint "stands ready to present the Texas judge the information she will need to order extradition." 

Julio Sosa-Celis shooting case

Dig deeper:

According to the criminal complaint, Castro allegedly fired a gunshot into a north Minneapolis home "knowing it was occupied by multiple individuals," striking Sosa-Celis in the leg. Investigators recovered a 9mm shell casing outside the home and documented a bullet trajectory traveling through the front door and multiple interior walls before lodging in a child's bedroom wall.

The complaint states that Castro gave false accounts of the confrontation to fellow ICE agents, medical staff and the FBI. He claimed he had been attacked with a broom and shovel before he fired his weapon. Prosecutors say those claims were contradicted by surveillance video, witness statements and physical evidence.

According to the complaint, four adults and two children were inside the home at the time of the shooting. Investigators said ICE agents surrounded the home after the shooting, deployed tear gas and later entered the residence, taking four adults into custody. The complaint states paramedics were not allowed access to Sosa-Celis for nearly an hour after he was shot in the leg.