On July 4, 2025, Lt. Thomas Gross responded to a 911 call at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, a federal immigration facility holding over 1,000 people. He encountered a figure in black who opened fire with a military-style rifle, wounding Gross in the neck.
Police pursued suspects across Johnson County, arresting eight people near the scene, including a woman in a ballistic vest and a man with spray paint. Zachary Evetts, 35, was found muddy on a highway hours later. Meagan Morris, 41, was stopped in a red minivan leaving Prairieland; officers found Kevlar vests, a ballistic helmet, an AR-15-style rifle, and trauma kits inside.
Within 24 hours, 10 people were in custody for a planned attack. The FBI launched a manhunt for Benjamin Song, 32, of Dallas, the alleged shooter, raiding homes across the metro area with battering rams and flash-bang grenades. Song was captured July 15 after an 11-day search.
Twenty people were eventually rounded up, held on $10 million to $15 million bonds. The Trump administration, including Stephen Miller, hailed the arrests as a milestone in its war on "left-wing terrorism," calling it an existential threat.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing