Minneapolis Authorities Unveil Video of ICE Officer-Involved Shooting, Raising Questions About DHS’ Allegations

MINNEAPOLIS — Recently unveiled video evidence casts doubt on the federal government’s account of an incident where an immigration officer shot a man in the leg on January 14 in north Minneapolis.

The footage, released by the city, was captured by a city-owned surveillance camera. It depicts an individual standing outside a residence holding a shovel as a pursuit seemingly concludes at the end of the block.

In the video, the individual is seen dropping the shovel and sprinting toward the house, while another person emerges from a halted vehicle and collapses in front of the home.

A third individual, believed to be the federal agent, tackles the person who fell. Subsequently, a person exits the house, and the footage shows a brief altercation unfolding among the three individuals.

The two men, later identified as Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, were accused of striking the agent, leading the immigration officer to fire his weapons. Sosa-Celis was struck in the leg.

Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were charged, but Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen later urged the court to dismiss with prejudice. 

“Newly discovered evidence in this matter is materially inconsistent with the allegations in the Complaint Affidavit, filed on January 16, 2026, as ECF 1-1, as well as the preliminary-hearing testimony that was based on information presented to the Affiant,” the attorney general said. 

Federal prosecutors previously laid out a timeline of the events on Jan. 14, saying two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were pursuing a vehicle registered to a man listed in the ICE database as being in the country illegally. 

As the ICE agents initiated a traffic stop, court documents said the driver of the target vehicle drove off, launching a brief pursuit. The vehicle hit a light pole and the driver allegedly ran from the car. That driver was later identified as Aljorna, who was not the same man agents were initially targeting as the registered owner. 

Court documents said later review showed Aljorna’s driver’s license photo was “similar in nature and physical appearance” to the man agents were initially targeting.

Court documents initially claimed one of the pursuing ICE agents ran after Aljorna, who slipped and fell to the ground in front of a home where Sosa-Celis was standing on the porch. The agent then allegedly attempted to detain Aljorna and the two began to struggle. An FBI agent testified in court and said the ICE officer received a gash to his hand. The agent said that during the struggle, the officer pulled his weapon and struck Sosa-Celis in the thigh.

Court documents previously alleged Sosa-Celis grabbed a broom and began striking the agent. While the video appears to show a third person entering the confrontation, it’s difficult to see if there is anything in that person’s hand.

Immediately after the shooting, DHS officials incorrectly claimed in a news release that Sosa-Celis was the driver of the vehicle being pursued by agents and “the subject of a targeted enforcement operation.” 

The release also claimed “two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle.” However, no such snow shovel attack is visible on video.