Dallas ICE shooter was targeting agents, not detainees: Officials

DALLAS -- The sniper who opened fire on the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, killing one detainee and wounding two detainees, was targeting ICE agents, not detainees, officials said, citing notes the suspect left behind.

The suspect -- Joshua Jahn, 29, of Fairview, Texas, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound -- "intended to maximize lethality against ICE personnel," Nancy E. Larson, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said at a news conference on Thursday.

It appears Jahn hoped to "minimize any collateral damage or injury to the detainees or any other innocent people," Larson said. "It seems that he did not intend to kill the detainees or harm them."

Jahn allegedly left behind a handwritten note that said, "Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, 'is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?'" FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement, the note referring to armor-piercing bullets.

Patel said the sniper allegedly had searches last month on apps that track ICE agents and he allegedly downloaded a document called "Dallas County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management," which has a list of DHS facilities.

"He conducted multiple searches of ballistics and the 'Charlie Kirk Shot Video'" on Tuesday and Wednesday, Patel said.

Patel said more evidence shows "a high degree" of planning.

Jahn allegedly "fired indiscriminately" at the ICE building on Wednesday morning, killing one ICE detainee and critically wounding two others, one of whom is a Mexican national.

Officials believe Jahn brought a ladder to position himself on top of an adjacent building, Larson said.

Detainees were being loaded out of a van when the gunfire erupted, according to a senior ICE official. Some detainees were still in the van when the shots rang out, and ICE agents ran back into the gunfire to bring the rest of them to safety in a move that "likely saved more lives," the official said.

Jahn's handwritten notes indicated he did not expect to survive, officials said.

Investigators have not found that Jahn was a member of any specific group, Larson said. No government agency was mentioned in his notes other than ICE, but he did express a "hatred for the federal government," Larson said.

Investigators believe Jahn acted alone, Larson said. She said he wrote in one note, "Yes, it was just me and my brain."

On Wednesday the FBI released an image of recovered bullets, including one engraved with the phrase "ANTI-ICE," and DHS released a photo that appears to show a gunshot in an American flag display.

Vice President JD Vance said during remarks in North Carolina on Wednesday that evidence that hadn't been released showed the shooter was a "left-wing extremist."

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said he would put all ICE facilities on a higher alert.