Minneapolis Releases Video of ICE Shooting, Dismisses Charges

Minneapolis city officials released surveillance video on Monday depicting a January confrontation between federal immigration officers and two Venezuelan men that ended in a nonfatal shooting, prompting the dismissal of assault charges against the men and the administrative suspension of two officers accused of providing false testimony.

The incident occurred on January 14 in north Minneapolis near North Sixth Street and North 24th Avenue. Federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pursued Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, 26, after he allegedly evaded a traffic stop by driving erratically. Aljorna fled on foot to his residence, where his roommate, Julio Cesar SosaCelis, 24, was outside shoveling snow. During the ensuing scuffle at the front steps, an ICE officer fired a single shot from his handgun, striking SosaCelis in the right thigh. The bullet lodged in the house near a children's playset, according to reports.

Initially, federal authorities charged Aljorna and SosaCelis with assaulting the officer using a snow shovel and broom handle for nearly three minutes, justifying the use of force. However, the city-owned camera footage, captured from about half a block...