Two federal officers have been put on administrative leave after they were alleged to have made “untruthful statements” around a shooting of an illegal immigrant in Minnesota.
The two officers were put under investigation by the Department of Justice, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said on Friday. The investigation concerns the circumstances surrounding the shooting of Julio Sosa Celis on Jan. 14, who was accused of attacking the federal agents with a shovel, alongside his partner Alfredo Aljorna. After initially defending them, investigators now say the pair’s testimony was inconsistent with the material evidence.
“A joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements,” Lyons said in a statement, obtained by Politico. “Both officers have been immediately placed on administrative leave pending the completion of a thorough internal investigation… The U.S. Attorney’s Office is actively investigating these false statements.”
Prosecutors alleged that “newly discovered evidence” contradicted the officers’ story, that they had fired in self-defense after being assaulted by one of the duo with a shovel.
MINNEAPOLIS PROSECUTORS CHARGE FEW ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS AMID MASS UNREST
Judge Paul Magnuson, a Reagan appointee, sided with prosecutors and ordered them released from pretrial detention. After ICE detained them again and put them in immigration custody, George W. Bush appointee Patrick Schiltz ordered them released again.
The Celis shooting received much less media attention than that of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, despite occurring around the same time, partially due to a lack of video footage showing the incident.
