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The gunman who opened fire on a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas on Wednesday hated the U.S. government and wanted to “cause terror” by killing federal agents, authorities said Thursday, revealing new details about the deadly attack.
Federal investigators identified the shooter as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, who fatally shot himself after ambushing the ICE office building at daybreak. One detainee was killed and two others critically injured in the attack. No ICE personnel were hurt.
Handwritten notes found at Jahn’s home in suburban Dallas showed that he “specifically intended to kill ICE agents,” according to Joseph Rothrock, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Dallas. “He fired multiple shots at vehicles carrying ICE agents and detainees, as well as into office windows where employees do their jobs every day,” Rothrock said.
Jahn’s notes made clear he “did not expect to survive this event” and sought to create fear. “He wanted to cause terror,” Rothrock said. FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X that Jahn had conducted “a high degree of pre-attack planning,” including downloading a list of Homeland Security facilities and searching online for ballistics and videos of the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month.
One note cited by Patel read: “Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?” referring to armor-piercing bullets.
Nancy Larson, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said investigators discovered multiple notes at Jahn’s home, one of which read, “Yes, it was just me.” While Jahn expressed broad hatred for the federal government, he did not identify any agencies besides ICE, she said.
Authorities said Jahn arrived around 3 a.m. Wednesday with a large ladder strapped to his vehicle, which he used to reach a rooftop overlooking the ICE building near Dallas Love Field Airport. Around 6:30 a.m., he opened fire on an ICE transport van carrying detainees, spraying the building with bullets before turning the gun on himself.
The rifle used in the attack was legally purchased in August, Rothrock said.
“Under gunfire, multiple federal agents ran into that fire to remove these individuals and attempt lifesaving aid under the most dire circumstances,” he added.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has ordered increased security at ICE facilities nationwide following the attack. Patel posted a photo of a bullet from the scene with “ANTI-ICE” scrawled on its casing.
Jahn’s brother, Noah Jahn, told NBC News that he was shocked by the anti-ICE rhetoric. “He didn’t have strong feelings about ICE as far as I knew,” he said, describing his brother as “unique” but not politically active.
Records show Jahn attended Collin College between 2013 and 2018 and once worked at a legal cannabis farm in Washington state.
The Dallas shooting marks the latest in a string of violent attacks against federal immigration agencies. In July, gunmen in tactical gear opened fire outside a detention center in Alvarado, injuring a police officer. Days later, another man fired on Border Patrol agents in McAllen, Texas, before being killed by authorities.
“The obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop,” Vice President JD Vance said in a post on X after the shooting. “I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families.”
