MELTING ICE

ICE Contractor Accused of Shooting Protesters and Fleeing

Police allege the off-duty detention center worker fired on protesters before driving away from the scene.

An employee at a private company that operates an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after police say he shot at protesters outside a Colorado facility.

Brandon Booth, 42, an employee of private prison contractor GEO Group, was arrested Thursday night after allegedly firing a single shot at two women following an anti-ICE demonstration outside the Aurora ICE Processing Center.

According to the Aurora Police Department, Booth was among several employees stuck in traffic after protesters blocked access to the facility. Police said two female demonstrators confronted employees verbally and took photos of their vehicles before walking away.

“At that point, Booth retrieved his personally owned pistol and fired a single shot in their direction, striking one of the women on her lower body,” according to police, as reported by CBS News. “Booth then got into his vehicle and drove out of the area before he was detained.” His vehicle and handgun were seized as evidence.

The injured woman was taken to a hospital with wounds that police said are not believed to be life-threatening. The second woman was unharmed.

Booth was booked on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, felony menacing, and unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon. He is being held in the Adams County Jail on a $100,000 bond while prosecutors review formal charges.

“We are aware that an off-duty Aurora ICE Processing Center employee was involved in a shooting incident,” a GEO Group spokesperson said. “This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement.”

Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain called the incident “a tragedy on all fronts,” adding that the department would conduct a “thorough, objective, and comprehensive review.”

Play Video

The shooting comes amid increased scrutiny of ICE use-of-force incidents. On Monday, ICE agent David Brouillette reportedly shot and killed 26-year-old Colombian national Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, during an operation targeting another individual. Guerrero’s partner, Martha Karolina Rojas Alvarez, and their 3-year-old daughter were present.

Less than a week earlier, an unidentified ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an enforcement operation in Houston.

SIGNS WERE THERE

Killer ICE Agent Exposed as Bipolar Wife-Beating ‘Monster’

William Vaillancourt

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Tomas ThorBreaking News Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.