A protest outside a Colorado immigrant-processing facility ended in gunfire Thursday night, and police say the suspected shooter was an employee of the company that runs the center for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The incident unfolded at an ICE Processing Center in Aurora, a Denver suburb, operated by GEO Group, according to a police statement posted on social media.
The shooting came just days after ICE agents fatally shot two motorists during separate traffic stops — one on 7 July in Texas and another on 13 July in Maine.
Aurora police arrested Brandon Booth, 42, on Thursday. He was booked into jail on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, felony menacing and unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon, authorities said.
The woman who was shot was taken to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to her lower body. Police said her injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
“We are aware that an off-duty Aurora ICE Processing Center employee was involved in a shooting incident,” a GEO spokesperson said. “This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement.”
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Police said tensions flared during a demonstration in which protesters had blocked the entrance to the ICE facility.
According to authorities, Booth fired a single shot from his personally owned handgun toward two female protesters who had “initiated a verbal confrontation” with GEO employees and were photographing their vehicles before beginning to walk away.
After one of the women was struck, Booth returned to his vehicle and left the area, police said. Officers stopped him a short distance from the facility and took him into custody, according to the statement.
“We remain committed to ensuring an ethical, thorough, objective, and comprehensive review of this case,” Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said. “Violence of any kind will not be tolerated in Aurora. Constitutional rights are a pivotal part of a just society – violence is not.”
ICE has faced heightened scrutiny following the two recent fatal shootings tied to vehicle stops in Houston and Biddeford, Maine. In both incidents, DHS has said the men who were killed — one a Mexican citizen and the other a Colombian national — were not the intended targets of the immigration enforcement actions taking place at the time.
Advocates for migrants and Democratic politicians have also criticized ICE detention and processing centers — including some run by GEO under federal contract — alleging detainees face unsafe, unsanitary conditions and inadequate access to medical care.
GEO is one of the largest private prison operators in the United States.
