The man who shot and killed a detainee and hospitalized two others at a Dallas immigration facility before turning the gun on himself acted alone and left detailed notes stating he intended to shoot and terrorize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.
Fairview resident Joshua Jahn, 29, opened fire with a bolt-action rifle at a Dallas ICE field office around 6:30 a.m., shooting across the length of building, through windows, and toward law enforcement vans, where he hit three detainees being transferred.
One died and two were taken to a nearby hospital, where they are undergoing treatment, acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson said at a press conference Thursday.
Law enforcement obtained warrants for devices and locations associated with Jahn, and at his home, found a collection of notes. One said: "yes, it was just me and my brain," Larson said. He referred to ICE agents as "people showing up to collect a dirty paycheck," and said he wanted to maximize harm against ICE while minimizing collateral damage.
The fact that he killed a detainee and injured two others was a "tragic irony," Larson said.
"This, what he did, is the very definition of terrorism," she said.
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It's unclear how many shots were fired, and the identities of the victims have not been revealed as of Thursday. At least one injured victim was a Mexican national, according to the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Jahn's notes allegedly revealed he planned the shooting months in advance, and that he wanted to "cause terror" to law enforcement, FBI Dallas Special Agent Joe Rothrock said at Thursday's press conference.
"He doesn't want to just impact the ICE agents and the law enforcement agents that were carrying out that mission yesterday," Rothrock said. "He wants to impact ICE agents and law enforcement across the country."
When asked if Jahn's suicide was part of his plan, Rothrock said his notes, "indicate that he did not expect to survive this event."
Evidence shows Jahn used ICE tracking apps designed to spot, track, and locate ICE officers, according to an ICE official. He also downloaded information about several Department of Homeland and Security facilities, said Marcos Charles, ICE executive associate director for enforcement and removal operations.
Charles added there will be increased security at facilities, something Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem already ordered for agencies to do as well.
Earlier that morning, around 3 a.m., Jahn was reportedly seen on camera footage driving with a large ladder in his car, which the DOJ believe is what he used to "position himself" on top of an adjacent building. After the shooting started, the Dallas Police Department responded, and eventually found Jahn dead on the roof of that building with a self-inflicted wound.
Found at the scene, according to the DOJ and FBI, were unspent shell casings, one of which was scrawled with the words, "Anti-ICE."
The FBI did not find evidence he was a member of any specific political group, and the notes did not single out any agency other than ICE. Other notes found in Jahn's home, according to Larson, made clear he didn't intend to kill detainees or harm them.
He also wrote, "good luck with the digital footprint," Larson said — indicating he likely destroyed digital evidence or otherwise scrubbed his online presence.
While the shooting was likely intended to be an attack on ICE, it also fueled the North Texas immigrant community's fears of being targeted amid anti-immigrant rhetoric.
It's also just the latest incident of alleged political violence in recent months.
On Aug. 25, the same Dallas field office received a threat from a man who walked up to the building claiming to have a bomb in his backpack, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The man has since been arrested and charged with making terroristic threats, the agency said.
Less than two months earlier, on July 4, a group of people went to the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado as part of a noise demonstration, according to official complaints. But court documents say things took a turn when a shooter in the nearby woods opened fire at police and correctional officers, hitting one police officer.
Seventeen people have been arrested in connection to what happened that night.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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