Aurora ICE detention center worker arrested in shooting of protester 21%
By Colleen Slevin52%
7/17/2026, 9:03:24 PM
BS Summary: This article contains 14 faulty reasoning types, including Framing Effect, Self-Serving Bias, and Availability Heuristic, with Negativity Bias as the most egregious example at 18.8% saturation with 96 hits. Analysis detected 506 faulty-reasoning hits from 511 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 35.4% and a BS Rank of 21% (13,668 of 17,285 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 79.10% of the article peer group.
An employee at the Aurora immigration detention facility has been arrested on suspicion of the shooting of a protester near the facility on Thursday, police said.
Brandon Booth, 42, opened fire after two female protesters initiated a “verbal confrontation” with employees who couldn’t get into the facility because of a demonstration taking place outside the center, according to a statement from Aurora police posted to X.
The detention center, located in the 3100 block of Oakland Street, is run by the GEO Group, a contractor for U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Booth was arrested on suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, first degree assault, attempted first degree assault, felony menacing and unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon, police said.
He was booked into the Adams County jail at 8:57 a.m. on Friday, jail records show.
Booth appeared briefly in court Friday afternoon by video, peering out through a narrow opening in a cell door.
He didn’t speak and his attorney, Katie Scruggs, didn’t address the allegations against him.
Scruggs said Booth had worked at the ICE facility for 2 ½ years and in juvenile detention before that.
She said Booth was convicted twice of driving under the influence, most recently in 2011.
She asked Magistrate Kyle Martelon to set a lower bond than normal since Booth had no criminal history in the last decade.
But Martelon said allegations of shooting at two unarmed protesters required a higher bond and set it at $500,000.
“To say this is a grave risk to our community would be a vast understatement,” Martelon said.
The GEO Group said in an emailed statement that the shooting happened while Booth was off duty.
“This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement,” the company said.
Police said the shooting occurred sometime before 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, when officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 3100 block of North Nome Street.
Officers found the victim shot in her lower body.
An initial investigation found that the victim and another woman had been participating in a protest outside the detention facility.
Booth was waiting in his vehicle along Nome Street with other workers, unable to get by protestors and enter the complex to start their work shifts, police said.
The victim and another protestor were taking photos of employees’ vehicles and initiated a “verbal confrontation,” police said.
The women walked away before police said Booth retrieved a pistol he owned and fired a single shot in their direction, striking the victim.
The victim was taken to an area hospital to be treated.
Her injuries aren’t believed to be life threatening, police said.
The other woman wasn’t hurt, police said.
Booth drove away before being detained nearby, police said.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Booth had a lawyer representing him.
The Colorado Sun sent a request for comment to Booth in the jail through an Adams County sheriff’s sergeant on Friday afternoon.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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