DALLAS — A shooting outside a Texas immigration detention center last year was carried out by members of the Antifa movement, federal prosecutors told jurors Tuesday, opening a closely watched trial that lawyers for the defendants say seeks to wrongly punish a group of political protesters.
Nine people have pleaded not guilty in connection with their alleged involvement in what prosecutors described as the attack at the Prairieland Detention Center near Dallas last July, when a police officer was shot in the neck and wounded.
Eight of the nine face charges of providing material support to terrorists, which comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s order to designate the decentralized movement known as Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. Most of the defendants also face multiple charges, including attempted murder of a law officer.
Lawyers for the defendants say the defendants were not members of Antifa, and were instead participating in a “noisy demonstration” that included fireworks on July 4, 2025, to show support for immigrants inside the center.
“Make no mistake, there is nothing peaceful about what happened on the Fourth of July,” prosecutor Sean Smith told the jury.
The trial is expected to last more than three weeks. Many defendants risk living in prison if convicted.
According to the indictment, a group of people wearing black clothes and masks, some carrying firearms and wearing protective armor, launched fireworks towards the center and vandalized vehicles and a guard shed. Then, when local officers responded, one of the subjects shouted, “Get to the guns” and opened fire, hitting the officer, the indictment says.
While defendant Benjamin Song was the one who opened fire, several other defendants are also charged with attempted murder of a law officer and discharging a firearm because it was foreseeable from the group’s planning that that could happen, Smith said. Song’s lawyer did not provide an opening statement on Tuesday.
The officer who was shot, Alvarado Police Lt. Thomas Gross, was the first witness to testify Tuesday. He said that around 11 p.m. he was responding to a call from the detention center when he saw that there were graffiti on a guard shed and a stop sign, and noticed a guard chasing a person dressed in black with his face covered.
Gross said he got out of his car and saw another person, also dressed in black, with his face covered, and carrying a rifle.
He added: “At this point, the scene has become very chaotic.”
He told jurors that he was shot by a bullet that entered his shoulder and exited through his neck.
Defense attorneys told jurors that their clients could only be judged on their individual actions. “It’s a trial within a trial,” said attorney Chris Tolbert, who represents Savannah Patten.
He said his client did not bring a firearm, spray paint or fireworks to the station. He said that while the government claims its book club — named after anarchist Emma Goldman — is a place to recruit Antifa, it is just a book club.
“She is not a member of Antifa, and does not provide material support to terrorists,” Tolbert said.
Short for “anti-fascists,” Antifa is not a single organization, but rather an umbrella term for far-left-leaning armed groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations. FBI Director Kash Patel said the charges in Texas are the first time a charge of material support for terrorism has targeted people he said are members of Antifa.
James Laster, an attorney for defendant Autumn Hill, said Hill has a deep conviction for people she feels are marginalized, including immigrants. After watching fireworks go off in the sky, Hill left before police arrived, Laster said.
“We weren’t supposed to come this far,” Luster said.
Several people have already pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists after being accused of supporting Antifa in connection with the July 4th shooting. They face up to 15 years in prison upon sentencing.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
