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Texas officer shot, wounded by group outside ICE detention center

The Alvarado Police officer was shot in the neck; multiple people, some of whom were allegedly wearing body armor, fired shots when the officers arrived on the scene

ALVARADO, Texas — Several individuals are in custody after a police officer was shot outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Johnson County, CBS News Texas reported.

The incident occurred shortly before 11 p.m. on the Fourth of July near the Prairieland Detention Facility on Sunflower Lane. Officers with the Alvarado Police Department responded to a call reporting a suspicious person near the facility.

Upon arrival, officers saw an individual appearing to carry a firearm, according to a department news release.

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When an officer attempted to engage with the person, multiple suspects opened fire, striking one officer in the neck, police said. The injured officer was airlifted to a Fort Worth hospital and later released after receiving treatment.

Alvarado police said several armed suspects were taken into custody after attempting to flee. A federal law enforcement source told CBS News that eight individuals were arrested. Some of the individuals taken into custody were wearing body armor. Authorities have not released the names of those arrested.

The source said preliminary information indicated more than a dozen masked individuals dressed in black arrived at the facility late on July 4, vandalizing vehicles and security cameras before launching fireworks, possibly to lure law enforcement.

The motive remains under investigation. The FBI declined to comment.

The U.S. Department of Justice said it is monitoring the incident, along with another reported attack at an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon.

“The Department has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

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Joanna Putman is an Associate Editor and newswriter at Police1, where she has been covering law enforcement topics since August 2023. Based in Orlando, Florida, she holds a journalism degree from the University of Florida and spent two years working in nonprofit local newsrooms, gaining experience in community-focused reporting. Married to a law enforcement officer, she works hard to highlight the challenges and triumphs of those who serve and protect. Have a news tip? Email her at news@lexipol.com