Colorado ICE Detention Center Worker ARRESTED After Allegedly Shooting Protestor

An employee at the ICE detention center in Aurora, CO has been arrested under suspicion of shooting an anti-ICE protestor.

42-year-old Brandon Booth is facing a multitude of charges, including attempted second-degree murder.

Allegedly, he pulled out his personal handgun and shot a woman who was blocking the facility’s entrance as he was trying to get to work.

Reportedly, she and another female protestor were taking photos of the detention center workers’ cars and initiated a “verbal confrontation” with the employees.

The victim was struck by a bullet in her lower body and transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Aurora Police Department released a lengthy statement on the incident, along with Booth’s mugshot, in this post on X:

NEWS RELEASE: A man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that left a woman injured Thursday night.

Shortly before 7:30 p.m. on July 16, 2026, the Aurora Police Department responded to reports of a shooting in the 3100 block of N. Nome Street. Responding officers… pic.twitter.com/AqCgVsUpiV

— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) July 17, 2026

NEWS RELEASE: A man has been arrested in connection with a shooting that left a woman injured Thursday night.

Shortly before 7:30 p.m. on July 16, 2026, the Aurora Police Department responded to reports of a shooting in the 3100 block of N. Nome Street. Responding officers found two women, one of whom had suffered a gunshot wound to her lower body. The other woman was unharmed.

Additional officers in the area stopped a man in a vehicle a short distance away. The vehicle with the gun inside was subsequently seized. The driver, identified as 42-year-old GEO Group employee Brandon Booth, was detained.

An initial investigation revealed that the women were part of a protest occurring near the Aurora ICE Processing Center earlier that evening. Booth was waiting in his vehicle along Nome Street with other employees due to the protest impeding their ability to gain access to the facility for their work shifts. The two women initiated a verbal confrontation and took pictures of the employees’ vehicles before 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. Booth then got into his vehicle and drove out of the area before he was detained.

Detectives from the Aurora Police Department’s Violent Crimes Section responded to the scene to conduct the investigation. Booth was subsequently 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 woman who was shot was transported to the hospital and treated for her injuries, which are believed to be non-life threatening.

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“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. “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.”

This case remains under active investigation. Any decisions regarding the formal filing of criminal charges will be made by the 17th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. Anyone with any additional information about this incident, including any footage, is asked to please contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867). Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.

It’s important to note that Brandon Booth is not employed by the U.S. government or ICE agency.

This particular ICE detention center is privately owned and operated by a company called the GEO Group, which hired Booth. They have since placed him on administrative leave.

The New York Post shared a statement from the GEO Group in response to the shooting incident by one of their employees:

The Aurora ICE Processing Facility, which is Colorado’s only operating ICE detention center, is a privately run, 1,500-bed facility center operated by the GEO Group.

In a brief statement, a GEO Group spokesperson said 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 added.

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