Anti-ICE Messages Found On Bullets In Latest Deadly Political Shooting
A 29-year-old gunman left shell casings marked “ANTI ICE” after opening fire from a rooftop at a Dallas ICE facility on Wednesday morning. He killed one immigration detainee and critically wounded two others before dying by suicide. Officials previously stated that two detainees were killed, but corrected reports Wednesday afternoon. No ICE officers were injured.
“The shooter fired indiscriminately at the ICE building, including at a van in the sallyport where the victims were shot,” the Department of Homeland Security said. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blamed far-left rhetoric, while FBI Director Kash Patel called it a politically motivated attack.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Joe Rothrock said Wednesday’s shooting was an act of “targeted violence.”
It’s the latest in a series of deeply unsettling/deadly attacks in the U.S. that have used sniper-like tactics and/or political messaging on ammunition.
WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE TEXAS SHOOTING
The shooter, Joshua Jahn, was not especially interested in politics, his brother told NBC News, nor openly voiced criticism of ICE. He was registered as an Independent and last voted in November 2024.
Jahn grew up in Allen, Texas, but public records list recent addresses in Oklahoma. He was unemployed, and his brother said he knew how to use the family’s rifle, but “he’s not a marksman.” Records show John pleaded guilty in 2016 to felony marijuana delivery in Texas.
It marks the latest attack on an ICE facility in a matter of weeks. In July, two separate attacks targeted ICE facilities in Texas.
On July 4, eleven suspects set off fireworks and opened fire outside a detention center near Alvarado, wounding an officer. Ten of the individuals were later arrested for attempted murder.
On July 7, an armed man wearing tactical gear attacked the Border Patrol facility in McAllen, injuring three before being killed in a shootout.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Texas officials said there is too much political violence.
“There are people out there who are seeing what is being placed online and they’re coming in, they’re doing acts of violence against ICE employees... It’s just gotta stop. It’s dangerous and people are losing their lives,” Joshua Johnson, acting field office director for ICE in Dallas, said.
BIGGER PICTURE
Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot two weeks ago in a politically motivated attack, with the shooter more than 400 feet away, on top of a building, and using bullets with several memes and messages.
Luigi Mangione, who is charged with killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in late 2024, is accused of using bullets inscribed with common words in the insurance industry: “Delay,” “Deny,” “Depose.”
Thomas Matthew Crooks attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Trump in July 2024 at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, from about 500 feet away on a roof before authorities fatally shot him.
Research shows the risk of follow-on violence, or copycat crimes, is highest in the days immediately after a high-profile incident.
“Somebody who is sort of on the brink of carrying out an act of violence, somehow now feels empowered by what they’re seeing in the media, whether social media or mass media,” former FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force official Randy McAlister told CBS in January.