The shooter who opened fire at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Dallas spent a “significant” amount of time planning the lone-wolf attack on ICE personnel and left a note saying he wanted to “maximize lethality,” officials said Thursday.
Joshua Jahn, 29, of Fairview, Texas, killed one ICE detainee and injured two others after opening fire around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. Jahn died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the FBI said. Law enforcement did not provide details about the victims’ identities or their conditions.
A preliminary investigation found that the shooter left a “collection of notes” behind at his home, giving some apparent insight into his thinking.
In the notes, Jahn expressed negative views of ICE as well as the federal government, said Nancy Larson, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, at a press conference.
Jahn also wrote that he had acted alone in the attack, and wanted to “maximize lethality” against ICE agents.
“He hoped his actions would give ICE agents real terror of being gunned down,” Larson said. “He hoped his actions would terrorize ICE employees and interfere with their work which he called ‘human trafficking.’”
Officials said Jahn spent time pre-planning the attack by researching the ICE facility and tracking agents using an app.
The shooter drove to the Dallas facility with a large ladder on top of his car, which allowed him to reach the roof of a nearby building, law enforcement said. He used a legally-obtained 8-mm bolt-action rifle to open fire, spraying bullets across the building and transport vehicles. Some of the shell casings left behind were scrawled with “ANTI-ICE”, according to officials.
Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas field office, said the shooter left notes acknowledging his attack could harm other people aside from ICE agents – which is ultimately what the outcome was.
Marcos Charles, executive associate director for ICE removals, condemned the shooting and blamed “violent rhetoric” and “harmful lies” coming from social media and “community leaders in other states” for inciting the attack. Charles also directed some blame at “the media” for “amplifying ICE’s locations” and making them easier targets.
President Donald Trump and other members of the administration have, similarly, blamed rhetoric from liberals who oppose Trump’s immigration policies as the main reason for the recent string of violent attacks.
After the Dallas ICE facility shooting, Vice President JD Vance said the administration was confident the shooter was a “violent left-wing extremist.”
However, during Thursday’s press conference, officials said there was no evidence Jahn was a member of a certain group or entity and that he did not mention any other government agency in his notes other than ICE.
Officials declined to comment on whether or not Jahn had a specific, personal connection to ICE or immigration in general. The FBI is encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
