Dallas shooter Joshua Jahn planned to 'terrorize' ICE agents for accepting ‘dirty paychecks'

DALLAS, TEXAS: The man who opened fire outside a Dallas immigration facility, killing one detainee and injuring two more, wasn’t after detainees at all — he wanted ICE agents dead.

Officials say 29-year-old Joshua Jahn left behind chilling handwritten notes detailing a “game plan of the attack,” his hatred for the federal government, and his goal to give ICE agents “real terror.”

Nancy Larson, acting US attorney for the Northern District of Texas, revealed the information on Thursday, September 25, saying investigators uncovered a disturbing stash of writings at Jahn’s home. 

Joshua Jahn targeted ICE agents, not detainees, FBI reveals

According to Larson, FBI agents raided Jahn’s residence and found loose notes that spelled out his entire scheme.

“One of these notes or papers, the sniper explicitly states, ‘Yes, it was just me.’ That statement appears to be correct at this point in the investigation,” Larson said.

She added, “Notably, these loose notes included a game plan of the attack and target areas at the facility. He called the ICE employees, ‘people showing up to collect a dirty paycheck.’ He 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.”

But the "tragic irony," Larson said, is that “it was a detainee who was killed and two other detainees that were injured.” Investigators believe Jahn acted alone.

The attack unfolded the day before, when Jahn allegedly fired at the immigration facility from a rooftop perch, hitting detainees in transport vehicles before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities say he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the scene. Near his body was an unspent shell casing scrawled with the phrase “ANTI-ICE,” according to FBI Director Kash Patel. 

Dallas ICE gunman aimed to instill fear in agents

Larson said Jahn’s writings dripped with “hatred for the federal government” and his mission to “terrorize ICE employees and interfere with their work, which he called human trafficking.”

“He also hoped his actions would give ICE agents real terror of being gunned down, and he did this to induce constant stress in their lives,” Larson added. “This, what he did, is the very definition of terrorism.”

Patel revealed investigators also found a note where Jahn wrote, “Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, ‘is there a sniper with AP (armor piercing) rounds on that roof?’”

Another note showed him bragging, “Yes, it was just me and my brain.” Larson said agents haven’t found any ties to extremist groups or organizations. Jahn never mentioned any other government agencies besides ICE, Larson added.

He even taunted investigators, writing, “Good luck with the digital footprint.” Larson said authorities believe he tried wiping his devices clean. 

Dallas ICE shooter mapped attack with detailed planning

Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI field office, said Jahn put “significant, high degree of pre-attack planning” into the ambush.

The shooter researched the ICE facility and dug up ways to track ICE personnel, Rothrock said.

“He knew with a high likelihood that ICE detainees would be transported that morning in the exact location where he was facing from his perch on a nearby rooftop,” Rothrock explained.

Patel furnished more disturbing details. He said Jahn allegedly downloaded a Department of Homeland Security facility list, searched for apps tracking ICE agents, researched ballistics data, and even viewed video of Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting.

During the attack, Jahn sprayed bullets at transport vehicles carrying ICE staff, detainees, and federal agents. He also fired straight into the office windows where ICE employees were stationed.

The weapon used was an 8mm bolt-action rifle, which Rothrock said Jahn legally purchased just last month.

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