Shot Through the Door: Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis and the Minneapolis Mistaken Identity Shooting¶

Published: February 12, 2026
Published by: Mortui Vivos Docent Intelligence Project
Confidence: HIGH (verified across 20+ independent sources including FBI sworn affidavit, federal court records, DHS press releases, video evidence, local and national news, and partner testimony)

Executive Summary¶

On January 14, 2026, at approximately 6:50 PM, an ICE agent shot Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a 24-year-old Venezuelan man, in the leg at his home in north Minneapolis. The shooting was the result of a cascading series of errors that began with mistaken identity: two out-of-state ICE agents, unfamiliar with Minnesota, ran the license plates on a car that had changed hands through a $750 Facebook Marketplace sale, mistook the driver for someone else entirely, initiated a high-speed chase, crashed into a residential neighborhood, and ultimately fired a bullet that passed through the front door of a duplex where Sosa-Celis lived with his partner and young child.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a press release within hours characterizing Sosa-Celis and two other men as "violent criminal illegal aliens" who "violently beat a law enforcement officer with weapons." The FBI's own sworn affidavit, filed in federal court weeks later, told a fundamentally different story: a case of mistaken identity, conflicting witness accounts, and physical evidence -- a bullet hole through the front door -- that contradicted the government's self-defense narrative. The FBI agent who testified acknowledged that "no one was able to corroborate the officer's story that he was hit while on the ground."

The aftermath compounded the violence. Protesters gathered at the scene. Federal and local law enforcement deployed tear gas into a residential neighborhood, sending a 6-month-old baby and two other children to the hospital. The infant stopped breathing and required CPR from his mother, a certified EMT. The home at the shooting scene was boarded up.

Sosa-Celis and Alfredo Aljorna were charged with assaulting a federal officer and face up to 20 years in prison. A federal judge ordered them released. ICE immediately re-detained them at the courthouse before they could speak to their attorneys. Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz -- a George W. Bush appointee and Antonin Scalia protege -- ordered ICE to explain itself, noting that the agency had violated at least 96 court orders in Minnesota in January 2026 alone.

The ICE agent who fired the shot is under investigation for unreasonable use of force by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. He has not been publicly identified. Defense attorneys stated: "We believe the case involves an unreasonable use of deadly force by a federal agent and a false factual narrative to justify a shooting that should never have happened."

1. VICTIM PROFILE¶

Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis¶

Personal Information:
- Full Name: Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis
- Age: 24
- Nationality: Venezuela
- Immigration Status: Entered United States August 2022 (undocumented)
- Partner: Indriany Mendoza Camacho
- Children: One-year-old son
- Residence: 600 block of 24th Avenue North, north Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Occupation: DoorDash delivery driver
- Injuries: Gunshot wound to the leg (bullet passed through thigh)

Criminal Record (per DHS):
- Driving without a license
- Two counts of giving a false name to a peace officer

Defense attorneys' position: Neither Sosa-Celis nor Aljorna have criminal convictions. Minnesota court records are consistent with this assertion. Both have appeared for all court proceedings without failure. DHS's characterization of them as "violent criminal illegal aliens" is based on the allegations arising from the January 14 incident itself -- not on any prior history.

Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna¶

Personal Information:
- Age: 26
- Nationality: Venezuela
- Immigration Status: Undocumented
- Children: One-year-old son
- Occupation: DoorDash delivery driver
- Role in incident: He was the driver of the car that ICE agents initially pursued. He was not the person the agents were looking for.

Gabriel Alejandro Hernandez-Ledezma¶

Named by DHS as third suspect. However, the federal affidavit makes no mention of him. As of February 3, 2026, he has not been charged with any federal crime. He is being held at a federal detention facility in Texas.

2. INCIDENT TIMELINE: A DETAILED RECONSTRUCTION¶

Pre-Incident: The Mistaken Identity¶

Two ICE agents had been assigned to Minneapolis as part of Operation Metro Surge -- the largest immigration enforcement operation in DHS history, involving up to 3,000 federal agents deployed to Minnesota. The agents were from out of state and were not "familiar with the Minnesota area," according to the FBI affidavit.

While conducting enforcement and removal operations, the agents ran the license plates on a vehicle. Their database returned the car as registered to Joffre Barrera, a 35-year-old flagged as being in the country illegally. The agents decided to conduct a traffic stop.

The actual driver was Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, 26, who had purchased the car off Facebook Marketplace for $750. The title transfer had not been updated in the database. Aljorna told authorities he was driving for DoorDash at the time.

Neither the driver nor Julio Sosa-Celis was the person the agents were looking for.

The Chase -- January 14, 2026, ~6:45-6:50 PM CT¶

ICE agents initiated a traffic stop on Aljorna's vehicle using an unmarked car with emergency lights and a siren
Aljorna fled -- whether because he did not recognize the unmarked vehicle as law enforcement, or for other reasons
The vehicle crashed into a parked car
Aljorna fled on foot toward his duplex on the 600 block of 24th Avenue North
An ICE agent pursued on foot

The Shooting -- ~6:50 PM CT¶

The accounts diverge here. There are three versions:

DHS Official Account (January 15 press release)¶

According to DHS: While the ICE officer pursued Sosa-Celis on foot and attempted to apprehend him, Sosa-Celis "began to resist." Two subjects came out of a nearby apartment and "attacked the law enforcement officer with a snow shovel and broom handle." While the officer was "being ambushed by three individuals," Sosa-Celis "got loose and began striking the officer with a shovel or broom stick." The officer, "fearing for his life and safety," fired a "defensive shot."

Key problems with DHS's account:
- DHS identified Sosa-Celis as the driver of the car. The FBI affidavit confirmed Aljorna was the driver.
- DHS called it a "targeted traffic stop" of Sosa-Celis. The FBI confirmed the agents were targeting Joffre Barrera, who was not present.
- DHS described the encounter as an "ambush" by three people. The FBI affidavit does not mention a third person.

FBI Affidavit Account¶

According to FBI Special Agent Timothy Schanz's sworn affidavit: The agent chased Aljorna toward the residence on foot and a scuffle ensued. Aljorna and Sosa-Celis allegedly beat the officer with a snow shovel and broom. The agent "drew his pistol; the men dropped the broom and the shovel and began to run toward the house; and the agent simultaneously fired one round towards the men."

Critical detail: The FBI agent who testified about that night said "many people were interviewed and no one was able to corroborate the officer's story that he was hit while on the ground."

Family and Witness Account¶

Sosa-Celis's partner, Indriany Mendoza Camacho, was inside the home. She has publicly stated: "I saw everything." Both Aljorna and Sosa-Celis have repeatedly stated that the gunshot came after they had gone inside their duplex and closed the front door behind them. Their partners, who were already inside, described the shooting the same way in the immediate aftermath via FaceTime calls to relatives.

A Facebook livestream video, posted by an account named "Lachamaka Mendoza" at 6:51 PM -- the exact time Minneapolis Police said 911 calls began -- shows the moments after the shooting from inside the house. In the recording, occupants are heard telling a 911 dispatcher that agents shot Sosa-Celis as he tried to enter his home.

The Physical Evidence¶

At a court hearing on February 3, 2026, defense attorney Frederick J. Goetz presented photographic evidence that was devastating to the government's account:

A bullet hole through the front door of the duplex
A bullet hole in an interior wall
A bullet fragment that traveled past a portable crib and a mattress in a room where multiple small children sleep

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension recovered the bullet and fragment. The trajectory -- through the front door, through an interior wall, past a child's crib -- is consistent with the family's account that the shot was fired from outside at a closed door. It is inconsistent with DHS's claim that the agent fired a "defensive shot" while being beaten on the ground.

Aftermath -- Night of January 14-15¶

ICE agents entered the home and arrested Sosa-Celis, Aljorna, and Hernandez-Ledezma
Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg; the agent was also injured (extent disputed)
Both Sosa-Celis and the agent were hospitalized
Approximately 200 protesters gathered at the scene
The home at the shooting scene was subsequently boarded up

3. THE TEAR GAS INCIDENT: CHILDREN HOSPITALIZED¶

After the shooting, community members gathered in protest. Federal and local law enforcement responded with chemical weapons in a residential neighborhood.

The Jackson Family¶

Shawn and Destiny Jackson, both 26, were driving their six children home from a basketball game. Their normal route was blocked by federal agents at Lyndale Avenue and 24th Avenue North. Shawn, who has lived in the neighborhood his entire life, tried to find an alternate route but found that blocked too.

Federal agents deployed tear gas and flash-bang grenades. According to the family:

A flash-bang device detonated near or under their vehicle
Tear gas filled the car containing six children ages 6 months to 11 years
Their 6-month-old baby, D'Iris, stopped breathing and lost consciousness
Destiny Jackson, a certified EMT who works in Minneapolis Public Schools, performed CPR on her infant son
She brought D'Iris back to consciousness approximately two minutes later
Three children, including the baby, were taken to the hospital by ambulance
Three of the children and Destiny have pre-existing asthma, requiring additional treatment
Doctors told the family they were exposed to "dangerous chemicals"
Weeks later, the children still had cold-like symptoms and the baby required ongoing airway treatments

Chemical Weapons in Residential Areas¶

The deployment of tear gas in a neighborhood where families with young children live raises serious legal and ethical questions:

Tear gas is banned in warfare under the Chemical Weapons Convention (1993)
Its use against civilians, including infants, in a residential neighborhood goes beyond any reasonable crowd control justification
The Jackson family was not protesting -- they were trying to drive home from a child's basketball game
No warning was given to residents before deployment
ICE and Border Patrol "liberally used tear gas and other crowd control weapons throughout Operation Metro Surge," according to Sahan Journal reporting

4. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS¶

Criminal Charges Against Victims¶

Sosa-Celis: Charged with assaulting a federal officer (up to 20 years)
Aljorna: Charged with assaulting a federal officer (up to 20 years)
Hernandez-Ledezma: Named by DHS but not charged; held in federal detention in Texas

Court Rulings -- A Timeline of Judicial Defiance¶

January 21: In a federal court hearing, FBI Special Agent Schanz's affidavit is unsealed, revealing the mistaken identity and contradicting DHS's public statements.

February 3: Defense attorney Goetz presents photographic evidence of the bullet hole in the front door. He also reveals that the shooting agent is under investigation for unreasonable use of force.

February 5: U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson orders both Sosa-Celis and Aljorna released on their own recognizance, concluding they do not present a heightened flight risk. Magnuson orders that they cannot be deported before the case ends.

February 5 (immediately after): ICE agents re-detain both men at the courthouse before they can speak to their defense attorneys. The men never leave the building as free individuals. Attorneys file an emergency habeas corpus petition.

February 5 (same day): Chief U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz -- a George W. Bush appointee who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia -- immediately rules that ICE cannot remove Sosa-Celis and Aljorna from Minnesota. He gives the federal government until Friday to explain the detention.

February 6: Aljorna's one-year-old son suffers third-degree burns in a household accident and requires surgery. A judge orders Aljorna released to be with his critically injured child.

The 96 Court Orders¶

Judge Schiltz's intervention in the Sosa-Celis case occurred in the context of his broader finding that ICE violated at least 96 court orders in 74 cases in Minnesota in January 2026 alone. His published list documented:

Detainees held longer than court orders permitted
People removed to detention facilities in other states despite court orders to the contrary
A 2-year-old girl and her father transferred to Texas after a judge ordered immediate release
A Venezuelan family arrested at gunpoint without a warrant in their own home, not reunited despite court order
A Venezuelan man transferred to El Paso despite an explicit court order keeping him in Minnesota

Schiltz wrote: "ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence." He added: "ICE is not a law unto itself."

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin responded: "We will not be deterred by activists either in the streets or on the bench."

Investigation of the ICE Agent¶

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) launched a use-of-force investigation into the shooting
The BCA reported "a lack of cooperation from federal officials"
The shooting agent has not been publicly identified
Defense attorneys stated they learned the agent is under investigation for unreasonable use of force

5. CONFLICTING NARRATIVES: A DETAILED COMPARISON¶

Element	DHS Account (Jan 15)	FBI Affidavit	Family/Witness Account
Who was the target?	Sosa-Celis (implied)	Joffre Barrera (not present)	Barrera (not present)
Who was driving?	Sosa-Celis	Aljorna	Aljorna
What triggered the stop?	"Targeted traffic stop"	License plate came back to wrong person	Wrong person's car
Where was the shooting?	On the street	Agent fired as men ran toward house	Through the closed front door
What prompted the shot?	Agent "ambushed by three individuals"	Agent fired "simultaneously" as men ran	Shot fired into door
Witnesses corroborate agent?	Not addressed	"No one was able to corroborate"	Multiple witnesses contradict
Number of attackers?	Three	Two mentioned	Disputed entirely
Physical evidence?	Not addressed	Bullet recovered by BCA	Bullet hole in door and interior wall
Criminal history?	"Violent criminal illegal aliens"	Not characterized	Driving without license, false name

The pattern is consistent across multiple DHS shooting incidents: an initial public narrative that characterizes the victims as dangerous criminals, followed by evidence that contradicts key elements of that narrative. In this case, DHS got basic facts wrong -- who was driving, who was being targeted -- and used inflammatory language ("violent criminal illegal aliens") to describe men whose only prior offenses were driving without a license and giving a false name.

6. OPERATION METRO SURGE CONTEXT¶

The shooting occurred during Operation Metro Surge -- the Department of Homeland Security's largest immigration enforcement operation in history, focused on Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

Scale¶

3,000 federal agents deployed to Minnesota at peak (five times the size of the Minneapolis Police Department)
Normal ICE/BP presence in Minnesota: approximately 150 agents
An increase of twenty times over baseline
4,000+ arrests since the operation began (averaging 61.5 per day)
DHS called it "the largest immigration operation ever"

Three Shootings in January 2026¶

Date	Victim	Outcome	Location
January 7	Renee Good, 37	Killed	Minneapolis
January 14	Julio Sosa-Celis, 24	Wounded (leg)	North Minneapolis
January 24	Alex Pretti, 37	Killed	Minneapolis

All three shootings occurred within the same metropolitan area during the same operation, within 17 days.

Community Impact¶

Schools transitioned to remote learning
Estimated $10-20 million in weekly business revenue lost
Some businesses report 80% revenue decline year-over-year
500+ habeas corpus filings in January -- on pace to more than double all of 2025
Nightly hotel cost for lodging agents: $360,000 ($10 million per month)
Minneapolis Police accrued 3,000+ hours of overtime in the first four days alone
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a federal lawsuit to end the operation
Hundreds of businesses staged a day of solidarity closures

DHS Messaging¶

DHS's press releases during Operation Metro Surge consistently used dehumanizing language:
- "Violent criminal illegal aliens"
- "Worst of the worst"
- "Criminal illegal aliens including rapists, pedophiles, and drug traffickers"

Of the 4,000+ arrested, the operation's stated connection to Minnesota fraud scandals yielded only 23 Somali nationals arrested -- none with ties to the frauds under investigation.

7. PATTERN ANALYSIS¶

Mistaken Identity and Escalation¶

The Sosa-Celis shooting illustrates what happens when:
- Out-of-state agents unfamiliar with an area are deployed for enforcement
- Database lookups produce outdated information
- Agents escalate to vehicle pursuit based on wrong information
- A chase creates adrenaline and confusion, increasing the likelihood of force
- The wrong person is shot

This is not an isolated incident. During Operation Metro Surge, multiple cases involved agents detaining wrong individuals, raiding wrong addresses, and arresting people not on any target list.

Narrative Contradiction Pattern¶

The Sosa-Celis case follows a pattern seen across multiple DHS shootings in 2025-2026:

Renee Good (Jan 7): DHS claimed Good attempted to run over officers. Local officials and witnesses disputed this account.
Sosa-Celis (Jan 14): DHS claimed three "violent criminal illegal aliens" ambushed an officer. FBI affidavit showed mistaken identity; physical evidence contradicted the shooting narrative.
Alex Pretti (Jan 24): DHS called Pretti a "domestic terrorist" who tried to gun down agents. Bystander cell phone footage contradicted DHS's statements almost immediately.
Carlos Jimenez (Oct 30, 2025): DHS claimed Jimenez tried to ram agents with his vehicle. His attorneys said he was shot while driving away after trying to warn agents about children at a nearby bus stop.

In every case, DHS issued inflammatory public statements within hours, characterizing victims as violent criminals. In every case, subsequent evidence contradicted key elements of the official narrative.

Accountability Failure Pattern¶

The legal proceedings in the Sosa-Celis case reveal a specific accountability pattern:
- Charges filed against victims, not agents -- Sosa-Celis and Aljorna face 20 years; the agent who shot through a door is not charged
- Judge orders release, ICE re-detains -- Judicial authority is treated as optional
- Court orders systematically violated -- 96 violations documented in one month in one state
- Federal non-cooperation -- BCA reports lack of cooperation from federal officials in its use-of-force investigation
- Shooting agent not identified -- The public cannot know who pulled the trigger

DHS Response to Judicial Authority¶

DHS's spokesperson characterized a George W. Bush-appointed federal judge as an "activist on the bench" for ordering ICE to follow court orders. This represents a direct challenge to the rule of law from the executive branch. As Judge Schiltz noted: ICE has violated more court orders in one month than some agencies have in their entire existence.

8. CRITICAL QUESTIONS¶

Will the use-of-force investigation result in charges against the agent? The BCA is investigating despite federal non-cooperation. The agent's identity remains unknown to the public.
Will the assault charges against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna be dropped? The physical evidence (bullet through the door) and lack of witness corroboration for the agent's account significantly undermine the prosecution's case. Defense attorneys have called the charges based on "a false factual narrative."
What happened to Gabriel Hernandez-Ledezma? DHS publicly named him as a third attacker. The FBI affidavit does not mention him. He has not been charged with any crime. He is being held in a federal detention facility in Texas. Why?
Will body camera footage emerge? Following the shooting of Renee Good on January 7, DHS announced it would deploy body cameras to all federal agents. Were cameras operational by January 14?
How did the bullet travel through the front door and into a child's bedroom? A bullet fragment was found near a portable crib and mattress where small children sleep. What would have happened if a child had been in the path?
Why did DHS issue a press release with factually false information? DHS stated Sosa-Celis was the driver and the target of the traffic stop. Both claims are false according to the FBI's own affidavit. Was this misinformation deliberate?
Why was Hernandez-Ledezma transferred to Texas without charges? Judge Schiltz documented multiple cases of ICE transferring people out of state in violation of court orders. Is this part of the same pattern?
What accountability exists for the tear gas deployment that nearly killed an infant? The Jackson family's 6-month-old baby stopped breathing. No one has been held responsible. No policy change has been announced.

9. ASSESSMENT¶

Verification Matrix¶

Claim	Sources	Confidence
Mistaken identity (agents targeting Barrera, not Sosa-Celis)	FBI sworn affidavit, Star Tribune	CONFIRMED
Aljorna was the driver, not Sosa-Celis	FBI affidavit, defense attorneys	CONFIRMED
Car purchased for $750 on Facebook Marketplace	FBI affidavit, court records	CONFIRMED
Bullet hole through front door, interior wall	Photographic evidence at Feb 3 hearing, Star Tribune	CONFIRMED
6-month-old baby stopped breathing from tear gas	CNN, FOX 9, ABC News, family testimony	CONFIRMED
Jackson family CPR on infant	Multiple sources, family account	HIGH
DHS press release contained false information	Comparison of DHS release to FBI affidavit	CONFIRMED
No witness corroborated agent's story	FBI agent testimony at hearing	CONFIRMED
Judge ordered release, ICE re-detained	MN Reformer, Star Tribune, KVRR	CONFIRMED
96 court orders violated by ICE in January	Judge Schiltz order, NPR, FOX 9, Bloomberg	CONFIRMED
Agent under investigation for unreasonable force	Defense attorney statement, Star Tribune	HIGH
BCA lacks federal cooperation in investigation	BCA statements, MN Reformer	HIGH
Both men are DoorDash drivers with 1-year-old sons	Court documents, defense filings	CONFIRMED
No criminal convictions for either defendant	Defense filing, MN court records	HIGH
Aljorna's son suffered 3rd-degree burns	MPR News, court filings	CONFIRMED

Overall Confidence: HIGH¶

This case is exceptionally well-documented through multiple independent sources: an FBI sworn affidavit, federal court proceedings, photographic evidence presented in court, video evidence (Facebook livestream, CNN aftermath footage), 911 dispatch recordings, and extensive reporting by multiple local and national outlets. The physical evidence (bullet hole through the front door) directly contradicts the DHS narrative. The FBI's own affidavit contradicts DHS's public statements on basic facts (who was driving, who was being targeted).

The case against Sosa-Celis and Aljorna rests on the account of an agent whose story no witness could corroborate, whose shot passed through a closed front door, and who is himself under investigation for unreasonable use of force.

10. SOURCES¶

Every. Human. Matters.

Including Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, 24, a DoorDash driver and father, shot through the front door of his home by an agent looking for someone else entirely. Including his partner Indriany, who saw everything. Including D'Iris Jackson, 6 months old, who stopped breathing because the government deployed chemical weapons in his neighborhood. Including every child who sleeps in a room where a bullet fragment landed next to their crib.

Published by Mortui Vivos Docent Intelligence Project
Methodology: Bellingcat-standard OSINT -- public sources only