AURORA, Colo. — An employee of an immigrant detention center in Aurora has been arrested after reportedly shooting a protester outside the facility Thursday night.
Brandon Booth, 42, an employee of the GEO Group — a giant private prison company that operates detention facilities across the U.S. — was detained shortly after firing a single shot in the direction of two women who had blocked his vehicle from getting into the facility so he and others could begin their evening work shifts, according to police.
Investigators said that prior to the shooting, the women had shouted at Booth and his colleagues and had taken pictures of their vehicles before walking away.
At that point, police said, Booth retrieved a personally owned pistol and shot at the two women, striking one “on her lower body.”
Booth then got into his vehicle and fled the scene but was stopped a short distance away and subsequently detained, police said in a news release Friday.
The victim, who has not been identified, sustained injuries not considered life-threatening, according to an Aurora Police Department spokeswoman.
“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,” said Aurora Chief of Police Todd Chamberlain in a prepared statement. “Constitutional rights are a pivotal part of a just society – violence is not.”
The ICE detention center in Aurora has been at the center of several immigrant rights protests in Colorado since President Donald Trump took office for a second time last year. This week, however, the facility came under the spotlight for refusing to cooperate with state and local health officials who are investigating a tuberculosis case in a detainee from last month.
Booth is being held on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, felony menacing, and unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon, APD officials said.
Aurora police are asking with any additional information or footage of this shooting to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.