Aurora ICE Center Employee Arrested After Shooting Protester
An employee linked to the operation of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainment center in Aurora, Colorado, was arrested after a shooting incident. The shooting took place near the GEO Group’s Aurora ICE Processing Center at 3130 Oakland Street on Thursday evening.
The suspect, Brandon Booth, aged 42, faces charges of assault and attempted second-degree murder. Aurora police arrested Booth in a vehicle on Nome Street, close to the shooting scene. Officers found a gun in the vehicle. The Aurora Police Department confirmed that Booth is employed by GEO Group.
The victim, described by police as a protester, was part of ongoing demonstrations outside the facility. The specific group she belonged to remains unclear.
“Two women initiated a verbal confrontation and took pictures of the employees’ vehicles before walking away,” the police stated. “Booth then accessed his pistol, firing a single shot. He hit one of the women on her lower body before driving away.”
The woman’s injuries were non-life-threatening. She remains unidentified.
A GEO Group spokesperson stated that the involved employee is on unpaid administrative leave, and they are cooperating with law enforcement. CBS Colorado reached out to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for further comments.
Aurora Police Chief Todd Chamberlain labeled the incident as a “tragedy on all fronts” and assured an investigation grounded in transparency and integrity. His statement emphasized that “violence of any kind will not be tolerated in Aurora,” while highlighting the importance of constitutional rights.
Police are urging anyone with footage or information related to the incident to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).
This event follows two lethal shootings by ICE officers within ten days. On July 7, an ICE officer in Houston, Texas, shot and killed a 52-year-old Mexican man mistakenly identified during an immigration operation. Then, on July 13, a 25-year-old Colombian man faced a similar fate in Biddeford, Maine, during ICE surveillance initiated for a different person.
After these incidents, DHS temporarily paused most ICE traffic stops. However, President Trump recently reversed the pause.