DALLAS — A Texas man was identified by authorities Thursday as the shooter who “indiscriminately” fired at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement office building, leaving one detainee dead and two others critically injured.
Joshua Jahn, 29, of Fairview, Texas, acted alone when he targeted ICE agents with a long-range rifle early Wednesday, and was not intending to harm any detainees, Nancy Larson, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said at a Thursday afternoon news conference.
Much of the focus of the investigation thus far has been centered on why Jahn might have held “anti-ICE” sentiments, according to authorities.
FBI Director Kash Patel said in a post on X that his agency has been analyzing devices, data and writings recovered from the shooter’s home.
Patel said the subject, whom he did not identify by name, downloaded a document containing a list of Department of Homeland Security facilities, searched several times for “ballistics” and for the video of Charlie Kirk’s assassination in the days before the shooting and last month searched several apps that tracks the movements of ICE agents, all of which Patel said showed a “high degree” of pre-planning in the attack.
Patel also said investigators found a handwritten note saying, “Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, ‘is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?”
About 6:40 a.m. Wednesday, dozens of police officers swarmed the office in the 8100 block of North Stemmons Freeway, as well as an adjacent building that houses the law firm of an immigration lawyer. Police believe the shooter opened fire from the roof of that building, which had an exterior staircase.
In interviews with The Dallas Morning News, witnesses described a “terrifying” scene as a series of spaced-out shots ripped through the morning air.
One person was killed while the two other detainees sustained critical injuries, officials said. According to the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the men who was seriously injured is a Mexican national.
Jahn was later found dead nearby of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said. No law enforcement officers were injured.
Shortly after the shooting, Patel posted a picture to X of five unfired rounds purportedly recovered from the scene; one bullet had the words “ANTI-ICE” written on it in what appeared to be marker. Officials have described the incident as a targeted shooting against ICE agents, adding another possible instance of politically motivated violence, a little over two weeks after conservative influencer and activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah.
Acting ICE director Todd Lyons said during a Fox News appearance Wednesday that the FBI was scrubbing the suspected shooter’s social media profiles and looking into his associates in an attempt to learn what led him to develop “anti-ICE” sentiments, and if there was a possibility the shooter did not act alone. Lyons also said the shooter had a criminal history, including a previous conviction for a drug-related offense.
Lyons also said the shooter began firing on vehicles at the facility and said he would have had no way of knowing that migrants were inside the van. Photos of the scene showed bullet holes in the windows of the facility.
While officials have not said what kind of rifle was used in the shooting, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said on Fox News that the rifle is not believed to be “a modern firearm.” The bullets found with the “ANTI-ICE” writing were found in a stripper clip, which is often used to quickly load rounds into a firearm that does not have a detachable magazine, such as a bolt-action rifle.
At an unrelated news conference Thursday at Dallas police headquarters, Chief Daniel Comeaux declined to comment on the investigation, referring questions to the FBI. The chief praised the early morning response by Dallas officers, including those he said quickly located the suspected gunman’s body.
“Our response was exceptional, and I feel like our officers did an amazing job,” Comeaux said at the Thursday afternoon news conference that was otherwise focused on the results of a recent operation targeting sex offenders, “but, at this point, everything’s with the FBI now.”
The Dallas ICE field office is used for migrants to check in with ICE agents and hold migrants who have been arrested until they can be sent to long-term detention centers across the country. Migrants picked up by ICE at local jails are also first transferred to the field office to be processed.
The Department of Homeland Security said on social media that security would be increased at ICE facilities across the country, while check-ins scheduled at the Dallas facility for Thursday and Friday were rescheduled for Monday.
The gunfire follows a bomb threat made to the facility last month and a July 4 shooting at an ICE detention facility in Alvarado. In the bomb threat incident, a man was arrested after he walked up to an entrance of the building and claimed to have a bomb in his backpack.
In the July 4 incident, a police officer was wounded in a shooting after a planned protest escalated to gunfire. At least 15 people have been arrested so far in connection with what federal authorities described as a “planned ambush.” The officer who was shot in the neck survived.
Local and statewide leaders, including Dallas mayor Eric Johnson and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, called Wednesday for an end to “political violence” in America. Cruz spoke of Kirk’s killing earlier this month and implored an end to rhetoric demonizing ICE and Border Patrol agents.
“Look, in America, we disagree. That’s fine. That’s the democratic process, but your political opponents are not Nazis,” Cruz said.
Several other officials, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott, also denounced the shooting.
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