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NEW: DOJ Drops The Hammer After ‘Organized’ Shooting Attack On ICE Facility

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Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy Larson announced Monday that several individuals will be facing serious federal charges, including attempted murder, in connection with a July Fourth ambush that led to a police officer being shot in the neck outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.

The attack occurred when officers with the Alvarado Police Department responded to reports of a suspicious individual armed with a gun skulking outside the facility, located in Johnson County, in the late hours of July 4. After approaching the suspect, officers were met with gunfire from “multiple people,” which struck one officer in the neck.

The injured officer was airlifted to a nearby hospital in Forth Worth and was later released. Police arrested multiple suspects in connection with the attack, who were believed to have disabled security cameras and attempted to lure officers away from the ICE facility before the shooting.

On Monday, acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson announced criminal charges against 10 individuals in connection with the “organized” attack.

We’re here to tell you that late at night on July 4th, Friday night at approximately 10.37pm at the Prairieland Ice Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, 10 to 12 individuals dressed in black military-style clothing began shooting fireworks and engaging in acts of vandalism at the facility,” Larson told reporters at a press conference. 

And this was part of an organized attack. Today, my office has charged 10 individuals with three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer. Each of the 10 are also charged with three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Each of these defendants faces a mandatory prison term of 10 years and up to life in prison,” she continued.

An additional individual has been charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy for attempting to conceal and destroy evidence in relation to the attack. That individual also faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.

Larson described the attack as a “planned ambush with the intent to kill ICE corrections officers,” adding, “Make no mistake, this was not a so-called peaceful protest. It was indeed an ambush.”

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Prior to the shooting, the suspects allegedly launched fireworks and sprayed graffiti in an effort to lure ICE employees outside the building.

“The graffiti had such words as traitor, ice pig, and other profanity,” Larson said. “Then there was a 911 call from the facility. Two unarmed corrections officers went outside to speak with the vandals. One of the gunmen signaled using a flashlight to the vandals.”

The gunman who allegedly shot at officers was not with the vandals, but was instead positioned in a wooded area outside the facility. “Another assailant who was across the street, nowhere near the corrections officers, shot 20 to 30 rounds at these unarmed corrections officers,” Larson told reporters.

After the shooting, police apprehended seven suspects, some of whom were wearing body armor, while others were found with two-way radios. During their search, investigators also found a flag that read “resist fascism, fight oligarchy” and fliers that read “fight ICE terror with class war,” and “free all political prisoners.”

Additional searches over the weekend yielded masks, goggles, tactical gloves, more body armor, a cache of nine additional weapons, spray paint, fireworks, and insurrectionist material, CBS News reported. “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 charges come just hours after a separate gunman shot Border Patrol agents in an ambush-style attack in McAllen, Texas, located not far from the U.S.-Mexico border. Three officers were injured in the attack, including one who was shot in the knee, while the gunman was killed.

Officers recovered multiple weapons and a sizable amount of extra ammunition from the gunman’s vehicle, which was spray-painted with a Latin phrase linked to a terrorist group featured in a popular video game franchise.