A woman was shot Thursday night after a protest outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Aurora. An employee of GEO Group, which operates the facility, was arrested in connection with the shooting.
The shooting came after a confrontation between protesters and the suspect, Brandon Booth, 42, according to the Aurora Police Department.
The woman, identified in court and in a Go Fund Me request for help with medical bills as Emma Landis, suffered injuries that are believed to be non-fatal.
Aurora PD responded to the shooting at 7:30 p.m., finding a woman had been shot in her lower body. She was with another woman who was uninjured.
Police then stopped and detained Booth not far from the facility on the 3100 block of Nome Street.
Police reported that Booth and his colleagues had been unable to get into the facility for their work shifts because of the protest. The two women reportedly took pictures of the employees’ cars and got into a verbal altercation with the employees before walking away.
Booth then took out his personal firearm and fired one shot in the direction of the women, hitting one woman, police alleged. He got back into his car and drove away, according to Aurora PD.
“We are aware that an off-duty Aurora ICE Processing Center employee was involved in a shooting incident,” wrote a GEO group spokesperson. “This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement.”
An attorney representing Booth said he had worked at the GEO facility for two and a half years and worked in juvenile corrections for the state before that.
Booth was booked on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, attempted first-degree assault, felony menacing and unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon, according to Aurora PD.
He appeared before a judge Friday afternoon from the Adams County Jail, and Magistrate Kyle Martelon set his bond at $500,000.
“Obviously this is a horrifically concerning situation,” Martelon said. “To say that this is a grave risk to our community would be a vast understatement.”
Aurora Police said they were continuing to investigate and pledged to protect the rights of peaceful protesters.
“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 news release. “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.”
Though the motive for the shooting has not been disclosed, some politicians quickly tied it to a series of shootings across the country by ICE agents during protests or while trying to make arrests.
“ICE and their contractors are completely out of control,” Sen. John Hickenlooper said in a statement. “Everyone has the right to protest peacefully without fear of violence. We’re keeping the victim of this shooting in our thoughts, and we will keep fighting to end this lawlessness and instill accountability.”
U.S. Rep Jason Crow called for transparency as the case moves through the system.
“Deeply troubled by the shooting outside of the Aurora ICE detention facility. Violence has absolutely no place in our community,” Crow posted on social media. “As the Aurora Police Department investigates, Coloradans deserve complete accountability & transparency from ICE and its contractors. Deeply troubled by the shooting outside of the Aurora ICE detention facility.”
Booth has previously pleaded guilty at least twice to driving infractions, once for driving while ability impaired in 2010 and once for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2012, according to court records. Booth was also arrested in 2008 for failing to show up at traffic court. All three were misdemeanors.
The shooting happened at the same facility where at least one detainee has contracted tuberculosis. The Adams County Health Department confirmed Tuesday that at least one person has the contagious disease that spreads through the air and causes severe lung disease.
At the GEO facility along Nome Street on Friday, it was quiet.
Volunteers from Casa de Paz were handing out water and snacks to families there attending immigration hearings for detained individuals inside. The facility was locked down, but otherwise, arrivals and departures appeared normal.
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