A staff member from a group that operates a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Aurora, Colorado, has been detained after authorities reported a shooting on Thursday night. The incident occurred near the GEO Group’s Aurora ICE Processing Center at 3130 Oakland Street.
Brandon Booth, aged 42, faces charges including assault and attempted second-degree murder. Police apprehended him in a vehicle on Nome Street, located less than two blocks from the shooting site. They found a gun in the vehicle. Booth is reportedly a GEO Group employee.
The victim has been described by Aurora police as a protester, though her affiliation with any specific group is unclear. Protests have been occurring outside the facility throughout the year. According to a social media post from the Aurora police, Booth was waiting in his vehicle with other employees who couldn’t reach their work shifts due to the protest.
Two women initiated a verbal confrontation and took pictures of the employees’ vehicles before walking away.
Police stated that Booth then retrieved a personally owned pistol and fired, hitting one woman in her lower body with non-life-threatening injuries. He then left the area before being stopped by law enforcement.
A GEO Group spokesperson confirmed Booth’s involvement in the incident and stated he has been placed on unpaid administrative leave. The group expressed its intention to cooperate fully with law enforcement.
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain characterized the occurrence as a tragedy and promised a thorough and transparent investigation. He emphasized that violence will not be tolerated in Aurora.
Aurora police request that anyone with footage of the event or potentially useful information contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
This event follows two recent deadly shootings by ICE officers. On July 7, a 52-year-old Mexican man was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Houston, Texas. The man was mistakenly targeted during an immigration enforcement operation. On July 13, a 25-year-old Colombian man was killed by an ICE officer in Biddeford, Maine, during surveillance of a different individual.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) briefly halted most ICE traffic stops following these incidents, but the pause was overturned by President Trump on Wednesday.
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