A gunman who wrote “ANTI-ICE” on an unused bullet killed one detainee and wounded two others on Wednesday when he fired on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) field office in Dallas from a nearby rooftop before taking his own life, officials said.
FBI director Kash Patel posted a photo on X of what he said was the suspect’s unused ammunition that showed one with the words “ANTI-ICE” written along the side.
“While the investigation is ongoing, an initial review of the evidence shows an ideological motive behind this attack,” Mr Patel wrote.
In a statement, the US department of homeland security said the suspect fired “indiscriminately” at the Ice building, including at a van in the building’s secured entryway where the victims were shot.
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The department initially said two victims were dead and one injured, before later issuing a corrected statement that one detainee had been killed and two others were in critical condition.
Officials have not disclosed the identities of the victims.
The incident comes two weeks after the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk by a sniper during an event in Orem, Utah, which fuelled fears of a new wave of political violence in the United States.
NBC News and Fox News, both citing sources, identified the gunman as Joshua Jahn (29). Reuters was not immediately able to confirm their reports.
A Reuters reporter interviewed Jahn’s older brother, Noah, earlier in the day as Joshua Jahn’s name began circulating online in connection with the shooting.
Noah (30) said he was not aware that his brother harboured any negative feelings about ICE.
A Reuters journalist saw FBI agents entering a house in McKinney at the address listed in online records for Joshua Jahn on Wednesday afternoon.
Kirk’s death set off a firestorm of political recriminations and deepened concerns among critics of US president Donald Trump that he will use the killing to justify further cracking down on his opponents.
Mr Trump, vice-president JD Vance and other administration officials have blamed, without proof, liberal organisations for fomenting unrest and encouraging violence against the right.
At a news briefing in Dallas, officials emphasised the investigation was still in its early stages. Authorities were treating the attack as an “act of targeted violence,” Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas field office, told reporters.
Wednesday’s suspect opened fire on the office from atop an adjacent building around 11.40pm Irish time on Wednesday, police said.
Law enforcement officers were not injured in the shooting, officials said. The attack took place at an Ice field office, not a detention facility, where Ice officers conduct short-term processing of recently-arrested detainees. – Reuters
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