An off-duty employee of a company operating an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Aurora, Colorado, was arrested on Thursday evening after shooting and injuring a woman who had participated in a protest earlier that day. The suspect, identified as Brandon Booth, 42, is an employee of Geo Group, a private prison company that runs the Aurora ICE Processing Center.
Incident Details
According to the Aurora police department, officers responding to the scene found the woman with a gunshot wound to her lower body. She was accompanied by a friend who was unharmed. Police stopped Booth in his vehicle near the scene, seizing his car and a pistol. He was booked on probable cause of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, felony menacing, and unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon.
The injured woman was transported to a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Context of the Protest
The Aurora ICE facility has been a site of ongoing protests by immigrant advocates who allege mistreatment of detainees, including inadequate food and inconsistent access to air conditioning. Earlier the same week, the facility reported a tuberculosis outbreak affecting at least 12 detainees.
On the evening of the shooting, protesters had blocked the facility's entrance, causing Booth and other employees to wait in their cars. Police said the two women “initiated a verbal confrontation” and took photos of employees' vehicles before walking away. Booth then retrieved his pistol and fired a single shot, striking one woman, before driving off.
Employer Response
A spokesperson for Geo Group confirmed that Booth is an off-duty employee and stated, “This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement.” Geo Group, a $4 billion company, operates a vast network of private immigration detention centers and state prisons across the U.S. It holds multi-year contracts with the Department of Homeland Security for detention facilities, transportation services, and immigrant-tracking programs. In June, former Geo Group executive David Venturella was named acting director of ICE.
Police Statement
Aurora police chief Todd Chamberlain said, “This is a tragedy on all fronts. 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.”
