Ten charged for Friday attack on Texas ICE facility

The acting U.S. attorney for the northern district of Texas charged 10 people for their roles in the shooting of an Alvarado, Texas police officer who survived the attack. The accused each face three counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, prosecutor Nancy Larson said in a Tuesday Department of Homeland Security post. The defendants were also each charged with three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a violent crime, she said. Larson also charged an additional person with destroying evidence. They are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

What happened? The group, dressed in black military-style clothing, on Friday night allegedly began vandalizing and shooting fireworks at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, detention facility in Alvarado. Their actions were a coordinated effort to kill officers in an ambush, Larson said. She announced the charges the same day as a different shooting attack on a Border Patrol facility in Texas.

Someone at the facility called 911, and two unarmed ICE officers stepped outside the facility to speak to the group, Larson said at a Monday press conference. When an Alvarado police officer responded to the call, a gunman hidden in nearby woods allegedly shot him in the neck area, Larson said. Another assailant allegedly fired 20-30 rounds at the ICE officers.

Local law enforcement stopped the suspects as they fled the scene after the shooting, Larson said. Officers discovered that members of the group had several firearms, body armor, and two-way radios. The group also had a flag reading “Resist fascism. Fight oligarchy,” as well as flyers calling for the release of political prisoners and a class war against ICE, Larson said.

The FBI was investigating the case alongside Larson’s office and local law enforcement, special agent Joe Rothrock said at the press conference. The wounded officer was discharged from the hospital and was expected to make a full recovery, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.

What penalties do the defendants face if convicted? The alleged attackers would spend a mandatory 10 years in prison, with the possibility of a longer sentence up to life, Larson said. They are assumed innocent until proven guilty in court. The other person accused of conspiring with the group could be imprisoned for 10 years.

Dig deeper: Read my report on a Monday shooting attack on a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas.