An employee of a company that runs an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Colorado is under arrest after shooting and injuring a woman on Thursday evening. The incident happened after the woman participated in a protest in front of the facility earlier that day, according to the Aurora police department.
When officers arrived on the scene, they said they found the woman with a gunshot wound in her lower body. She had a friend with her, who was unharmed.
Police said they stopped a man in his vehicle not far from the scene. They seized his car and gun and identified him as Brandon Booth, 42, an employee for Geo Group.
“We are aware that an off-duty Aurora ICE Processing Center employee was involved in a shooting incident,” a spokesperson for Geo Group said in an email. “This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement.”
Geo Group is a $4bn company that runs a vast network of private immigration detention centers and state prisons across the US. The company has deep ties to the government with numerous multi-year contracts with the Department of Homeland Security for detention facilities, transportation services and immigrant-tracking programs. In June, the former Geo Group executive David Venturella was named the acting director of ICE.
Geo Group’s Aurora facility has been the site of protests in Colorado. Immigrant advocates have said detainees there have been mistreated, served inadequate food and don’t have consistent access to air conditioning. Earlier this week, the facility reported a tuberculosis outbreak with at least 12 detainees becoming sick.
On the evening of the shooting, the police say protesters had blocked the entrance to the facility. So, Booth and other employees were waiting in their cars until they could get in. The police say the two women “initiated a verbal confrontation” and took photos of the employees’ vehicles before walking away.
That’s when Booth got his pistol and fired a single shot at the women, striking one. He then drove off, the police said. Booth was arrested and 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 the hospital and treated for her injuries, which are believed to be non-life threatening.
“This is a tragedy on all fronts,” said Todd Chamberlain, Aurora’s chief of police. “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.”
