The gunman who opened fire at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas despised the US government and sought to incite terror by killing federal agents, officials said Thursday, revealing the first indication of a motive.The gunman, identified as Joshua Jahn, who ultimately fatally shot himself, “carried out a targeted, ambush-style attack on law enforcement,” Joseph Rothrock, head of the FBI’s Dallas field office, was quoted as saying by AP.He “specifically intended to kill ICE agents,” firing at ICE vehicles and sending multiple rounds into “the windows of the office building where numerous ICE employees do their jobs every day.”The attack took place at daybreak on Wednesday, targeting the ICE building and a van in a gated entryway carrying detainees. One detainee was killed, and two others were critically wounded, though no ICE personnel were injured.The attacker is believed to have acted alone. Nancy Larson, the acting US attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said investigators discovered a series of notes at his residence, including one that read, “yes, it was just me.” Other notes were highly critical of ICE agents and suggested he intended to avoid harming detainees.Larson said investigators have found no evidence linking the gunman to any group or organization. While he expressed a broad hatred of the federal government, she noted he did not mention any federal agency other than ICE.FBI director Kash Patel confirmed on Wednesday that Joshua Jahn was influenced by the rooftop killing of Charlie Kirk, noting that Jahn searched multiple times on September 23 and 24 for “Charlie Kirk Shot video.” Jahn also fired his shots from a nearby rooftop.“The perp downloaded a document titled ‘Dallas County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management’ containing a list of DHS facilities,” Patel said.The shooter also left behind a note stating he hoped the attack would “give ICE agents real terror,” Patel said through a post on X on Thursday. The FBI director shared a photo on social media of a bullet recovered from the scene, marked with the words “ANTI-ICE.” In response, Homeland security secretary Kristi Noem ordered increased security at ICE facilities nationwide, according to a DHS post on X.The shooting marks the latest high-profile targeted attack in the US, coming just two weeks after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot by a rooftop gunman at Utah Valley University. It also unfolds amid heightened immigration enforcement, which has fueled both backlash against ICE agents and growing fear in immigrant communities.
