FBI agents and other law enforcement personnel inspect a vehicle parked close to the structure reportedly used by the shooter, following a shooting incident near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Dallas on Wednesday.
Aric Becker/AFP via Getty Images
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Aric Becker/AFP via Getty Images
According to FBI Director Kash Patel, the individual responsible for the shooting at a Dallas ICE immigration detention center had conducted extensive research on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sites and the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk prior to the attack on Wednesday.
The suspect, identified by the Associated Press through a law enforcement source as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, opened fire on the ICE facility and a nearby van, indiscriminately striking and killing one detainee while wounding two others, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.
The FBI has yet to provide an official statement regarding the suspect when contacted by NPR.
Among those injured was a Mexican citizen, as confirmed by Mexico’s foreign ministry. The DHS reported that the assailant died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
In a statement posted on X Thursday morning, Director Patel revealed that investigators have been tirelessly working to collect electronic devices, analyze data, and review writings found at the scene and in the suspect’s residence. The evidence suggests meticulous preparation before the attack.
Patel noted that the shooter had downloaded a document titled “Dallas County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management,” which contained a directory of DHS facilities. Additionally, the suspect repeatedly searched for ballistics information and footage related to the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk between September 23 and 24.
Between August 19 and 24, the individual also used applications to monitor the locations of ICE agents, according to Patel.
A handwritten note discovered during the investigation read, “Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, ‘is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?'” The term “AP” is understood to mean armor-piercing ammunition, designed to penetrate protective gear and armored vehicles.
Following the incident, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directed the agency to enhance security measures at ICE facilities nationwide. The DHS also attributed part of the blame to inflammatory rhetoric from far-left groups.
