


Eleven people are facing charges over a “planned ambush” that led to an officer being shot outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, last week, federal officials announced Monday.
Just before 11 p.m. on July 4, officers arrived outside the ICE Prairieland Detention Facility after a report of a suspicious person. Alvarado police noted that when one police officer engaged with the person, an unknown number of people across the street opened fire. One bullet struck an officer in the neck.
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Ten suspects were charged with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a violent crime. An 11th person was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to attempt to conceal and destroy evidence.
Officials believe the suspects intended to draw ICE detention officers out of the building by launching fireworks at the facility. The officer who was struck in the neck was treated at a hospital and released, the Johnson County Sheriff’s office said.
“This was an egregious attack on federal and local law enforcement officers, and it is part of an increasing trend of violence against them,” Nancy Larson, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said. “This will not be tolerated. Those who use violence against law enforcement officers will be found, and they will be prosecuted with the toughest criminal statutes and penalties that we have available to us.”
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“This incident highlights the dangers that local law enforcement face on a daily basis, and the charges announced reflect the seriousness of the crimes,” said Joe Rothrock, the special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI field office.
The investigation was executed by the Dallas FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.