Molly Oldread ’26

by Molly Oldread ’26 on October 2, 2025

On Sept. 24, a shooting occurred at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas. The shooting left one detainee dead and two other individuals hospitalized as a result of the gunfire at the facility. The shooter was identified as Joshua Jahn, 29, according to sources close to the case. Jahn used a sniper rifle to open fire on the building from a distance. While his motives remain unknown, it has been confirmed that he was not aiming for any specific location of the building. Law enforcement reported the bullet holes were found all over the building and not localized to any one target. 

President Donald Trump claimed the shooting stems from “radical left Democrats constantly demonizing law enforcement,” while Vice President JD Vance also called the event an act of politically motivated violence. Governor Abbott of Texas stated that the shooting will not deter law enforcement from carrying out immigration enforcement. Jahn reportedly used a sniper to open fire on the facility, closely following the assassination of conservative political advocate Charlie Kirk, which was also carried out with a sniper. Since the attempted assassination of President Trump in July 2024, there have been reports of at least seven sniper-involved incidents across the country. Experts told ABC News there have never been so many sniper-related incidents in such a short amount of time, in what they call part of a “frightening trend of rifle-wielding shooters targeting politicians, police, and others from long distances.” 

Jahn allegedly had planned this attack for months and opened fire from the roof of a private office building that overlooks the ICE facility. FBI special agent Joe Rothrock reported that Jahn did a high level of planning, including researching where to shoot from and using apps to track ICE agents. This led officials to believe Jahn intended to harm ICE agents more specifically than the detainees. Shell castings found at the scene were engraved similarly to those found at the site of the Charlie Kirk assassination, which were scribed with messages such as “ANTI-ICE” and “Hey fascist! CATCH!” Jahn used an 8 mm bolt-action rifle in the shooting, and left writings which also caused officials to believe he wanted to harm ICE officials and cause terror. Jahn died by self-inflicted gunshot wounds, and investigators say it is very likely he acted alone.