An off-duty employee at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Colorado was arrested after he allegedly shot a protester and has been put on unpaid leave.
In a Thursday incident outside of the Aurora ICE Processing Center near Denver, 42-year-old Brandon Booth, who works for GEO Group, the private contractor that runs the facility, reportedly fired his personal weapon at two female protesters who impeded access to employees for their shifts and verbally confronted them.
At some point, Booth retrieved his handgun and shot at the protesters, striking one in the lower body before driving off and later being taken into custody by police. The woman was taken to a local hospital where she received treatment for her injuries; the other protester was unharmed.
(Video: YouTube/FOX31 Denver)
“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,” according to a statement from the Aurora Police Department.
“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,” the statement said.
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
“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,” the Aurora PD explained.
“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,” the news release read.
Booth was charged with suspicion of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and other charges, according to the Associated Press.
“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 Police Chief Todd Chamberlain said.
“Constitutional rights are a pivotal part of a just society – violence is not,” the chief added.
The woman who was shot has been identified as 21-year-old Emma Landis, a server at a local restaurant.
“It’s not a joke. This isn’t a game. This isn’t something you see on social media and hope not to experience,” she said, according to the Associated Press.
“We are aware that an off-duty Aurora ICE Processing Center employee was involved in a shooting incident,” a spokesperson for the GEO Group said in a statement. “This individual has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, and we will fully cooperate with law enforcement.”
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