Shooter Inspired by Charlie Kirk’s Murder Attacks ICE Facility in Dallas, TX

By Kyrien Keeton

A shooting at the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office last Wednesday left two detainees dead and one in critical condition. Between 6:20 and 6:40 in the morning, gunman Joshua Jahn used a ladder to reach a nearby roof before firing seemingly arbitrarily along the length of the facility, including into the van where detainees were waiting to be transported, according to Homeland Security officials. While under fire, multiple law enforcement officers rushed to the vehicles to protect the detainees and move the injured to safety. Dallas Police quickly arrived to secure the scene, but when Jahn was found, he had already died from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Jose Andres Bordones-Molina of Venezuela was among the victims who sustained injuries during the attack. 37-year-old Norlan Guzmán-Fuente of El Salvador died in the shooting. 31-year-old Miguel Ángel García-Hernández, father and husband, passed on September 29 after being removed from life support. He and his wife had been expecting their fifth child. 

Twenty-nine-year-old Joshua Jahn made his motives for the crime clear in the handwritten notes left in his residence. In one note, Jahn simply states, “Yes, it was just me and my brain.” Law enforcement believes he acted alone, unaffiliated with any group, though investigations are ongoing. 

Nancy Larson, US Attorney for the District of Texas, relayed the details of one note at a press conference, saying, “He [Jahn] wrote that he intended to maximize lethality against ICE personnel and to maximize property damage at the facility. He hoped to minimize any collateral damage or injury to the detainees and any other innocent people. It seems that he did not intend to kill the detainees or harm them. It’s clear from these notes that he was targeting ICE agents and ICE personnel.” Despite the intended nature of the crime, Jahn did not succeed in harming any law enforcement officers, but murdered two detainees instead.

In addition to notes riddled with anti-ICE ideologies, an unfired bullet found on the roof had been etched with the words ‘ANTI-ICE.’ In spite of Jahn’s seemingly obvious motivations, Jahn’s brother states in a brief interview, “He wasn’t interested in politics on either side as far as I knew.” In another note, Jahn states plainly, “I want to cause terror.” It may be that Jahn was not as deeply motivated by a hatred for ICE as he was by the desire to sow discord. Nevertheless, Larson describes his crime as “the very definition of terrorism.”

Investigations surrounding the crime revealed a long-premeditated plan. Jahn had legally obtained the firearm—an 8mm bolt-action rifle—in August. Jahn’s search history revealed that he had been extensively researching the ballistics of Charlie Kirk’s murder preceding the Dallas shooting. Seemingly inspired by the crime, he copied the shooter’s rooftop position and fired into the facility below. 

Enforcement and Removal Operations Director Marco Charles explains how Jahn had been using an app designed to locate ICE officers to help enact his crime. He goes on to say, “The media has been amplifying these apps even as we warned them it would only lead to more attacks on law enforcement. We truly wish we didn’t have to say, I told you so. But here we are.”

Many men and women in law enforcement share similar views regarding the dangerous rhetoric the media has spread regarding ICE officials. 

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X, “These horrendous killings must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences. Comparing ICE day in and day out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences.” Just two days before the Dallas shooting, the Department of Homeland Security stated that violence against ICE officers has increased by 1000%, with face masks helping officers to protect themselves and their families from being recognized and targeted by violent criminals. 

Marco Charles later defended ICE, saying, “In contrast to those who would demonize our men and women, yesterday, our brave officers ran back into danger, along with ATF, our partners, to save the detainees while shots were still being fired. Those ICE officers just showed the world who they really are.” 

Moving forward, Secretary Noem has promised to increase security at all federal facilities and detention centers. Without disclosing details about operational security moving forward, Charles states, “we’re looking at hardening some of our facilities.” 

Unswayed by the violent act, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement saying, “We will not let this cowardly attack impede our efforts to secure the border, enforce immigration law, and secure law and order. The Texas National Guard will continue our work with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to arrest, detain, and deport any individuals in this country illegally—without interruption.”