A man shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis was charged with assaulting law enforcement. A startling admission ended the case
Last month, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, a DoorDash delivery driver in Minneapolis, found himself in a tense encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. According to his attorney, Aljorna realized he was being pursued by ICE officers on a Wednesday evening and drove to his home. After being tackled by an agent, he escaped and entered his cousin Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis’s residence, where he was shot in the leg by an ICE officer as he attempted to secure the door.
Just seven days before this incident, a federal agent had fatally shot Renee Good, sparking fresh protests and confrontations with police. Soon after, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its version of events, which contradicted the accounts provided by Aljorna, Sosa-Celis, and their family. The DHS alleged that Sosa-Celis was driving the vehicle and that all three individuals had assaulted the agent before he fired his weapon.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) initially supported the DHS narrative, filing a January 16 court document to charge the two Venezuelan men. However, the DOJ later reversed its stance, filing a motion to dismiss the charges. This motion cited newly discovered evidence that conflicted with the original allegations, revealing that Aljorna, not Sosa-Celis, was the driver. ICE admitted that its agents made “false statements under oath,” and both officers were placed on administrative leave as the DOJ investigates their “untruthful statements.”
“This was an absolute unreasonable use of force, and the officer was fabricating claims against my client to justify that,” said Aljorna’s attorney, Frederick J. Goetz.
The DOJ’s decision underscores a broader trend where federal agencies have quickly issued accounts of their agents’ actions, only to later revise them. As CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig noted, such shifts have eroded trust in the Trump administration’s credibility. Previous cases, including the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, saw video evidence contradict official narratives. In another instance, prosecutors dropped charges against Marimar Martinez in Chicago after text messages exposed the agent’s boastful claims about the number of times he shot her.
The dismissed case marks a significant turning point, as the motion to dismiss with prejudice means the charges can no longer be revived. Lawyers for both Sosa-Celis and Aljorna praised the DOJ’s action, calling it “extraordinary” and “exceedingly rare.” The incident highlights how video evidence and digital communications can reshape the story of a shooting, revealing inconsistencies in initial government accounts.
