ALVARADO, TX — A twelfth individual has been charged in connection with a July 4th ambush-style attack at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado that left a police officer shot in the neck. Federal authorities announced Wednesday that Benjamin Hanil Song, 32, of Dallas, a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist, faces six federal charges related to the violent assault.
According to a criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Texas, Song participated in a coordinated, armed assault involving a group of 10 to 12 people dressed in black military-style clothing. Just after 10:30 p.m. on Friday, July 4, the group arrived at the detention center and began shooting fireworks toward the facility. Several individuals then spray-painted graffiti on vehicles and a guard shack in the parking lot.
Correctional officers called 911 to report the suspicious activity. As the first Alvarado Police Department officer arrived on scene and exited his patrol vehicle, he was shot in the neck by a gunman concealed in nearby woods. At the same time, another suspect across the street opened fire with an AR-style rifle, firing an estimated 20 to 30 rounds at unarmed correctional officers standing outside the facility.
The complaint alleges that Song was the shooter in the woods, armed with two AR-15-style rifles—both of which were recovered at the scene and traced back to him. One of the rifles had a binary trigger modification, allowing a semi-automatic weapon to discharge a round on both the pull and release of the trigger, effectively doubling the firing rate.
In addition to those firearms, investigators recovered other weapons during searches of vehicles and residences linked to the group. A third AR-style rifle, found in a van driven by Bradford Morris (charged separately), was also purchased by Song. Another pistol found in the backpack of Joy Gibson, another charged suspect, was also purchased by Song in October 2024.
Following the ambush, 10 suspects were arrested on scene or shortly afterward. However, Song escaped into the wooded area near the facility and remained at large. According to federal investigators, cellphone location data placed Song within several hundred meters of the detention center throughout the night of July 4 and into July 5.
By July 6, a white Mercedes-Benz registered to Song’s relative was found parked on the same street as Morris’s residence. Song was previously seen driving the vehicle on a DFW Airport surveillance camera in May 2025.
Authorities now believe Song may have spent the night hiding in the woods after the attack before fleeing the area. He remains at large, and the FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to his arrest and conviction. He is considered armed and dangerous.
Song served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves from 2011 to 2016 before receiving an “Other Than Honorable” discharge.
Song is charged with:
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Three counts of attempted murder of federal officers
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Three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence
The ten individuals previously charged on Monday, July 7, include:
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Cameron Arnold
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Savanna Batten
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Nathan Baumann
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Zachary Evetts
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Joy Gibson
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Bradford Morris
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Maricela Rueda
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Seth Sikes
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Elizabeth Soto
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Ines Soto
All 10 were charged with the same six federal counts.
“This was a planned and coordinated attack that could have killed multiple officers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson. “While ten suspects are already in custody, we will not rest until Benjamin Song is also held accountable.”
The investigation is being led by the FBI Dallas Field Office, with assistance from ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, ATF, Texas DPS, Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with information about Song’s whereabouts is urged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at fbi.gov/prairieland.
