Former Marine Charged with Attempted Murder in Texas Immigration Detention Center Attack

A former U.S. Marine reservist, Benjamin Hanil Song, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack on a Texas immigration detention center on July 4, in which a police officer was shot in the neck. Song, 32, from Dallas, is accused of purchasing four of the guns linked to the attack and has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Ten people, most of them from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, have previously been charged with similar crimes in connection with the attack.

Key Takeaways:

• Benjamin Hanil Song, a 32-year-old former Marine reservist from Dallas, has been arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence in connection with the July 4 attack on the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.
• Song is accused of purchasing four of the guns linked to the attack, which resulted in the wounding of a police officer who has since been released from the hospital.
• Ten people, most from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, have previously been charged with similar crimes, including attempted murder of a federal officer and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence.
• The attackers, who were described as dressed in black military-style clothing and armed, initially set off fireworks and spray-painted vehicles and a guard structure before opening fire on the correctional officers.
• The incident occurred as President Donald Trump's administration ramps up deportations, and the attackers are believed to have been motivated by anti-immigration sentiments.
• Song's cellphone location data shows that he was near the detention center from about 11:30 p.m. on July 4 until the day after the attack.

Statistics:

• 10 individuals, most from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, have been previously charged with attempted murder of a federal officer and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence in connection with the attack.
• 4 guns linked to the attack were purchased by Benjamin Hanil Song.
• 7 people were stopped by sheriff's deputies about 300 yards from where the officer was shot, all of whom were dressed in black, military-style clothing and were armed.
• 2 AR-style rifles, a pistol, ballistic-style vests, and a helmet were found in a van stopped by sheriff's deputies.
• The wounded police officer has been released from the hospital.

Sources:

• U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas
• U.S. District Court records
• The Dallas Morning News
• Federal prosecutors
• Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson