The FBI said it still needs the public’s help to locate another suspect on the run following the attack on the Fourth of July in North Texas.
ALVARADO, Texas — Alvarado Police Chief Teddy May said an officer shot in the neck last Friday is “healing nicely” after what federal prosecutors call a coordinated ambush of law enforcement outside a North Texas immigration detention center.
The FBI said it still needs the public’s help to locate a 32-year-old former Marine reservist who agents believe hid in the brush near the Prairieland Detention Center for nearly 24 hours following the shooting, according to a federal court document.
“He’ll be placed in custody, it’s just a matter of time,” said Alvarado Police Chief Teddy May in his first television interview since the Fourth of July attack.
He said he speaks with the unnamed, wounded officer daily and he is “absolutely lucky to still be with us.”
May described the incident as an “attack on my department, attack on our city, attack on our community and an attack on the rule of law.”
Authorities arrested a dozen people and have charged 11 with attempting to murder federal agents, terrorism and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer. One was accused of tampering with evidence.
On Wednesday, federal officials said a 12th suspect was charged in the shooting. Benjamin Hanil Song is now on the state’s top ten most wanted list.
An FBI spokesperson said Song has ties to Dallas County and agents believe he is still in the Metroplex. There is now a $35,000 total reward offered for information leading to his capture.
The FBI said agents believe Song hid in the woods near the detention facility until dark the day after the shooting, “before fleeing the area.”
A federal court document said a “cooperating defendant” identified the sound of gunfire during the attack came from a rifle with a “binary trigger,” similar to a weapon purchased by Song. The FBI said he served in the Marine Corps Reserves from 2011 to 2016 and received an other than honorable discharge.
The court documents allege the suspects lured the Alvarado officer to the ambush by shooting fireworks toward the detention center and vandalizing cars in the parking lot.
Within seconds of the Alvarado officer’s arrival, the federal complaint said he was shot in the neck, and the gunman then fired 20-30 rounds at two correctional officers who were also outside the building. He was able to return fire and radio to say he had been hit, according to an affidavit obtained by WFAA.
The federal criminal complaint said the suspects carried body armor, radios and extra magazines.
Subsequent searches of their cars and homes found balaclava masks, more guns and “anti-government propaganda,” the document revealed.