The release of a city-owned security video in Minneapolis has cast a harsh light on a January shooting involving federal agents, revealing a stark discrepancy between the government’s initial allegations and the visual record. The Minneapolis video puts focus on ICE shooting after federal prosecutors took the rare step of dropping all charges against two Venezuelan men and launching a criminal probe into whether the officers involved lied under oath.
The footage, released Monday, captures a chaotic sequence of events from January 14, in which federal officers chased a Venezuelan man to his residence. During the ensuing confrontation, another man living at the home was shot. While federal authorities initially described a violent assault by the immigrants, the video provides a different perspective on the scuffle, contributing to the eventual collapse of the government’s criminal case.
The incident has now evolved from a case of alleged immigrant violence into a federal investigation of official misconduct. Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have been placed on administrative leave as investigators determine if they provided false testimony regarding the events of that night. The fallout has also intensified a legal battle between local prosecutors and the federal government over transparency and the apply of force.
A Disconnect Between Allegations and Evidence
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, federal authorities accused Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. According to the initial account, the officer fired a single shot from his handgun in self-defense, striking Sosa-Celis in the right thigh.
Still, the security footage—shot from a distance in the dark—paints a more ambiguous picture. The video shows a person holding a snow shovel near the street before retreating toward the house and tossing the tool into the yard. Simultaneously, a person being chased by another individual runs from the street, trips on the sidewalk, and continues toward the residence. The three individuals then engage in a scuffle near the front steps for approximately 10 seconds.
The exact moment the shot was fired is not clearly visible in the footage. The video also reveals that the camera panned to the street before any police vehicles arrived, suggesting the camera may have been manually controlled in real time by someone monitoring the scene.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey characterized the discrepancy as part of a larger pattern. “The video makes it crystal clear that, just like in other situations during Operation Metro Surge, the federal government’s account of what happened simply does not match the facts,” Frey said in a statement.
The Timeline of a Collapsed Case
Questions have since emerged regarding why the federal government proceeded with charges despite the existence of the video. Reports indicate that federal investigators had access to the security footage within hours of the January 14 shooting, yet they reportedly did not watch the video until nearly three weeks after Aljorna and Sosa-Celis had been charged.
The case ended abruptly in February when U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen filed a highly unusual motion to dismiss the charges with prejudice, meaning the government cannot refile them. Rosen stated that “newly discovered evidence” was “materially inconsistent with the allegations” made in the criminal complaint and the evidence presented at a preliminary hearing, concluding that dismissal “would serve the interests of justice.”
| Date/Period | Event |
|---|---|
| Jan. 14 | ICE officers chase a man to a residence; Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis is shot in the thigh. |
| Jan. 14 (Hours later) | Federal investigators obtain the city’s security camera footage. |
| Late January | Federal authorities charge Aljorna and Sosa-Celis with assaulting an officer. |
| Early February | Federal investigators finally review the video; charges are subsequently dropped. |
| Current | Two ICE officers are under criminal investigation for allegedly lying under oath. |
Both Aljorna and Sosa-Celis are currently free while they seek legal status. Their path to freedom was convoluted; they were ordered released before the charges were dropped, but were briefly taken back into custody by ICE for immigration violations before a court ordered their release once again.
Pattern of Force and Federal Secrecy
The controversy surrounding this shooting is not an isolated event in Minnesota. It is the latest flashpoint in a series of confrontations involving federal officers during “Operation Metro Surge,” an immigration enforcement initiative. State and county prosecutors have expressed growing frustration over the federal government’s refusal to share evidence related to this incident and two other fatal shootings by federal agents: those of federal officers involving Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Late last month, local prosecutors filed a lawsuit against the administration to gain access to evidence they argue is essential for independent investigations into all three shootings. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has declined to comment on the specific details of the newly released video, citing the active nature of the investigation.
ICE has reaffirmed that the two officers involved in the January 14 shooting are on administrative leave. In a statement, the agency noted, “Lying under oath is a serious federal offense. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is actively investigating these false statements.” The agency warned that the officers could face termination of employment and potential criminal prosecution.
Disclaimer: This article discusses ongoing legal proceedings and criminal investigations. All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The next critical checkpoint in this matter will be the conclusion of the U.S. Attorney’s investigation into the two ICE officers, which will determine if formal criminal charges for perjury or making false statements will be filed. The outcome of the lawsuit filed by state and county prosecutors will determine whether local authorities can finally access the evidence needed to close the investigations into the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
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