Christian Castro, 52, was charged on May 18 with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting a crime relating to the incident during Operation Metro Surge in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
Moriarty alleged that Castro fired his weapon through a front door “knowing there were people who had just run inside.” The bullet traveled through the door and struck Julio Sosa-Celis in the leg before lodging in the wall of another room.
The shooting was one of multiple incidents in January during the Trump administration’s surge of federal personnel into Minneapolis and the region to conduct investigations into alleged widespread fraud and abuse of federal social services and immigration systems.
Moriarty was among several state officials who were vocal critics of the tactics of officers involved in the federal immigration law enforcement drive.
In the latest charges, Moriarty challenged the notion that federal agents have immunity from state prosecution.
Moriarty said the state charges are ineligible for a presidential pardon if Castro is convicted.
Castro’s attorneys would likely ask the judge to move the charges to federal court, but it would still be prosecuted by county attorneys under state law if the removal were granted, Moriarty said.
It is not clear if Castro has obtained an attorney. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE didn’t return a request for comment.
A nationwide warrant has been issued for his arrest.