SerpApi.Org
The man accused of a shooting a protester in her foot near the ICE detention facility in Aurora said he was "extremely angry" over perceived threats to his children when he fired a single shot in her direction, according to an arrest affidavit from the Aurora Police Department.
Brandon Booth, a GEO Group employee, faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, related to the shooting, which happened around 7:30 p.m. on July 16 in the 3100 block of North Nome Street. That is right around the corner from the ICE facility near Peoria Street and East 30th Avenue. The GEO Group is the private contractor that operates the facility.
Protests are common there, and as a result, several Aurora SWAT officers were stationed nearby and witnessed what happened.
According to the affidavit, on the evening of the shooting, facility staff were not allowing anyone in or out due to the protesters blocking access. While protests are common, Booth told investigators they did not typically interfere with access. He said when he arrived and realized he could not get inside for his shift, he pulled over to wait with fellow employees on North Nome Street.
While there, he said they were approached by two women who walked past and called them names such as "Nazis" and "race traitors," the affidavit says. The women admitted to verbally accosting Booth and the other workers, according to the affidavit.
As they walked past, Booth said the women made statements that they had recorded their license plates. He said he heard them say, "we're gonna run you down," and "we're gonna have people at your kids school," the document says. He said the women were about 25 to 30 feet from him when they made the comment.
He said, according to the affidavit, he was "extremely angry" about the threats to his children, who are 10 and 15, and described his anger level as "15 out of 10." However, he admitted, according to the affidavit, that he did not believe the threats were viable or that his kids were in immediate danger.
Still, he took his gun from a crossbody bag and fired a single shot toward the women, striking Emma Landis in her foot, the affidavit says.
“Just because you called somebody a mean word doesn't mean you get to shoot them and ruin their life,” Landis said over the weekend. “I could have died.”
SWAT officers immediately rendered aid. Landis suffered a through-and-through wound that broke her heel and left her on crutches and facing six to eight weeks off her feet.
Booth got into his vehicle and drove away after the shooting, according to police. He was later arrested nearby during a traffic stop.
He described his decision to pull out his gun as "impulsive" and stated he only intended to "scare" the protesters and did not mean to harm anyone.
Booth said he's worked as an unarmed corrections officer at the detention center for three years. The GEO Group said he's been suspended been without pay.
