a day ago
10 Charged with attempted murder after officer shot at Texas ICE Detention Centre
Ten individuals have been charged with attempted murder following a Fourth of July shooting at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centre in Texas, which left a federal officer wounded.
The incident unfolded at the Prairieland Detention Centre in Alvarado, located roughly 28 miles south of Fort Worth, amid 4th of July Independence Day demonstrations across the United States. What began as a disruptive act involving fireworks and vehicle vandalism escalated into gunfire, according to federal authorities.
A criminal complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas states that the 10 suspects each face three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
The officer, who sustained a gunshot wound to the neck, was treated at a local hospital and has since been discharged, the Johnson County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Sunday. The officer's identity has not been disclosed.
Court documents detail that the shooting occurred shortly after an Alvarado Police Department officer arrived in the detention centre's parking lot. As the officer exited their vehicle, gunfire erupted from nearby woods, striking the officer. A second shooter, positioned near an intersection just outside the wooded area, also opened fire on federal correctional officers.
Investigators recovered spent 5.56-calibre shell casings—commonly associated with AR-15-style rifles—at both shooting locations.
A Johnson County detective later stopped a 2007 Hyundai van believed to have fled the scene. The driver, identified as Bradford Morris, who also goes by Meagan Morris, allegedly told police they had met individuals online and brought them to the detention centre to 'make some noise.'
Officers searching the van discovered a handgun, two AR-15-style rifles, two Kevlar-style ballistic vests and a ballistic helmet.
Around 11:10 p.m., law enforcement located seven other suspects on foot approximately 300 yards west of the shooting site. Some were reportedly armed and dressed in black military-style clothing and body armour.
Legal experts say the charges could extend beyond the shooters. Mark Osler, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit and a law professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, explained that prosecutors may pursue charges against those who did not pull the trigger.
'If the defendants are found to have aided and abetted an attempted murder, they can face the charge. Or the attempted murder can be prosecuted as a conspiracy if it is shown that it was a coordinated action,' Professor Osler said.
'It's an unusually large alleged conspiracy, and a lot of people working in coordination if the allegations are true,' he added.
