The shooter who opened fire at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Dallas spent a “significant” amount of time planning the lone-wolf attack on ICE personnel and left a note saying he wanted to “maximize lethality,” officials said Thursday.
Joshua Jahn, 29, of Fairview, Texas, killed one ICE detainee and left two others injured after opening fire around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday. Jahn died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the FBI said.
A preliminary investigationfound that the shooter left a “collection of notes” behind at his home, giving some insight into his thinking.
In the notes, Jahn expressed negative views of ICE as well as the federal government, said Nancy Larson, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, at a press conference.
Jahn also wrote that he had acted alone in the attack, and wanted to “maximize lethality” against ICE agents.
“He hoped his actions would give ICE agents real terror of being gunned down,” Larson said. “He hoped his actions would terrorize ICE employees and interfere with their work which he called ‘human trafficking.’”
Officials said Jahn spent time pre-planning the attack by researching the ICE facility and tracking agents using an app.
The shooter drove to the Dallas facility with a large ladder on top of his car, which allowed him to reach the roof of a nearby building, law enforcement said. He used a legally obtained 8-mm bolt-action rifle to open fire, spraying bullets across the building and transport vehicles.
Jahn died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound before police could detain him.
Joseph Rothrock, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Dallas field office, said the shooter left notes acknowledging his attack could harm other people aside from ICE agents – which is ultimately what the outcome was.
Marcos Charles, the executive associate director for ICE removals, condemned the shooting and blamed “violent rhetoric” and “harmful lies” coming from social media and “community leaders in other states” for inciting the attack.
Charles also directed some blame at “the media” for “amplifying ICE’s locations” and making them easier targets.
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