Ten charged in connection with shooting at ICE facility in Texas, wounding an officer

Ten people have been charged in connection with a shooting last week at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement corrections officers and wounding a police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, according to a U.S. attorney.

Nancy Larson, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said at a Monday night news conference in Fort Worth that people in black military-style clothing fired at authorities in a “planned ambush” on Friday, The Associated Press reported.

The group first shot off fireworks, damaging cars and a guard structure, and writing words such as “traitor” and ”ICE pig.” That “seemed to be designed to draw U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel outside the facility, and it worked,” Larson said.

Two unarmed ICE corrections officers came out of the detention center to speak with the group, and eventually, the Alvarado police officer arrived and was shot by someone who was in the woods, according to Larson.

“Another assailant, who was across the street, nowhere near the corrections officers, shot 20 to 30 rounds at these unarmed corrections officers,” she said. “There was an AR-style rifle found at the scene” that was jammed, Larson added. A flag that read “Resist fascism, fight oligarchy,” and flyers with words such as “Fight ICE” were also recovered near the detention center.

Masks, goggles, tactical gloves, more body armor, weapons, spray paint, and fireworks were found in additional searches, according to Larson.

As the group ran away, sheriff's deputies stopped seven people about 300 yards from where the police officer was shot.

“Some were wearing body armor, some were covered in mud, some were armed, and some had two-way radios on them,” Larson said.

“It was a planned ambush with the intent to kill ICE corrections officers,” she also said.

The police officer who was shot in the neck after reporting to the detention center was treated at a hospital and released, according to the Johnson County Sheriff’s office.

When asked if the shooting was connected to the shooting in McAllen, Texas, on Monday of Border Patrol agents and a police officer, Larson said, “This is an ongoing investigation, so we cannot comment on any connections or the existence of connections at all.”

The 10 people were each charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, according to Larson. Another person was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy for attempting to conceal and destroy evidence.