Headlines Monday, July 20, 2026
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Police say Aurora detention center shooter a GEO employee; Weekend wildfire update; BPD closing complaints before oversight review KGNU News
Police say Aurora detention center shooter a GEO employee
The man accused of shooting a protester outside of the immigration detention center in Aurora is a detention center employee.
42-year-old Brandon Booth is facing possible charges of attempted second-degree murder, first degree assault, attempted first degree assault, felony menacing, and unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon.
Aurora Police arrested him outside of the detention center after the shooting incident last Thursday night, according to the Colorado Sun.
Police said Booth opened fire after two women protesters confronted him, just after a weekly demonstration outside of the ICE detention center ended. He was reportedly trying to get into work, but couldn’t because of the protest. 21-year-old Emma Landis, who was shot in the foot, was the only person hit by gunfire.
Booth made a brief video appearance in court Friday, but did not speak. His bond was set at half a million dollars. His next court appearance is not known at this time.
His lawyer said Booth has worked at the detention center for two and a half years.
The detention center is run by the GEO Group. The company said by email that Booth is now on unpaid administrative leave, and that they’ll fully cooperate with law enforcement.
A former in-law told the Colorado Sun that Booth has a history of aggressive behavior.
Weekend fire update: Aspen Acres over 100,00 acres, 12 injured in Leadville fire
Wildfires throughout the state are reaching further containment. The state’s largest burning wildfire, the Aspen Acres fire is sitting at 61 percent containment – the fire has burned over 100 thousand acres just 30 miles outside of Pueblo. Fire officials say the Aspen Acres fire has burned down more than 900 structures and have counted 337 homes among the destroyed buildings.
A smaller fire burning near Leadville injured at least 12 people as it spread. The Willow fire has burned 7,100 acres in Lake county. Officials did not specify to the Denver Post if those injured were residents or firefighters. So far, Leadville does not see any evacuation orders.
Crews are still working in containing the Gold Mountain fire burning near Ouray, the fire did not grow much during the week but still sits at around 13% containment. According to an evacuation map, the town of Ouray and Gunnison county remain in mandatory evacuation
Boulder Police Department closing complaints before oversight review
The Boulder Police Department has closed 21 complaints against officers, before independent review, using a process that’s been normalized since late last year. That’s according to city officials. Supervisors in the police department say that this early execution of complaints is meant to speed up review processes, which they say can last up to a couple months. Examples of these complaints could be officers speeding through stop signs or acting rudely during traffic stops.
The city’s independent police monitor and civilian police oversight panel are two entities that review complaints against BPD officers. As reported by the Boulder Reporting Lab, the city’s review entities are concerned that the new process undermines their role as reviewers.
The process to close these complaints was amended as part of a revision in Boulder Police Department governance. Under this process, a supervisor reviews the complaint and can independently review conduct with an officer, with a signoff from a commander and exclude the independent monitor review.
The current process still remains in effect as Police Oversight panel Co-chairs and the city’s independent police monitor advocate for reform for the early execution of complaints. Both the oversight panel and the monitor have said they appreciate the spirit of speeding up processes, but are seeking to maintain appropriate checks and balances of officer conduct.
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