Colorado ICE detention center employee arrested, accused of shooting protester

An employee of The GEO Group, the private-prison company that operates the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Aurora, has been arrested in connection with a shooting of a woman outside the facility Thursday night, Aurora police said.

Brandon Booth, 42, was arrested on suspicion of charges that include attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and felony menacing, according to an Aurora Police Department release.

The shooting occurred just outside the facility on Nome Street, where the victim had been among a group of demonstrators participating in a protest against ICE detention. She was transported to the hospital and her injuries “are believed to be non-life threatening,” police officials said.

ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A GEO Group spokesperson said in a brief statement that the company was aware that an off-duty employee was “involved in a shooting incident.”

“This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement,” the statement said.

Aurora police said that just before the shooting, Booth was “waiting in his vehicle along Nome St. with other employees due to the protest impeding their ability to gain access to the facility.” A verbal confrontation between Booth and two demonstrators ensued, after which the two women began 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,” said the APD release. “Booth then got into his vehicle and drove out of the area before he was detained.”

“This is a tragedy on all fronts, and the Aurora Police Department will investigate this incident with the same commitment to transparency and integrity as we do all shootings,” Aurora Chief of Police Todd Chamberlain said in a statement. “We remain committed to ensuring an ethical, thorough, objective, and comprehensive review of this case. Violence of any kind will not be tolerated in Aurora. Constitutional rights are a pivotal part of a just society — violence is not.”

The 1,500-bed Aurora facility operated by GEO, which is Colorado’s only operating ICE detention facility, has long been the target of criticism from activists over allegations of inhumane conditions and dehumanizing treatment. It was already under scrutiny this week following reports of a tuberculosis outbreak and its efforts to block local and state health officials from investigating the outbreak further.

Immigrant rights advocates on Friday addressed reports of the shooting as they delivered a petition to Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, demanding he take action over those public health concerns.

AnnaRose Craig, an activist with the American Friends Service Committee, said the shooting shows a “pattern of violence coming from The GEO Group and from ICE.”

“There is no reason that someone should have been shot yesterday, (and) the blame is on the corporation that does not prioritize caring for people, human beings — and that includes their staff, and it includes the people detained inside, and the visitors, and the broader community,” Craig said. “It is very clear that they do not value the lives of human beings.”