Dallas shooter left handwritten note vowing ‘real terror’, tracked ICE agents with apps

FBI Director Kash Patel said Joshua Jahn searched for videos of Charlie Kirk’s assassination in Utah before the Dallas attack
UPDATED SEP 26, 2025
Joshua Jahn, 29, was identified by sources as the shooter who fired from a rooftop at a Dallas ICE facility, killing one detainee and injuring two others (Andy Jahn/Facebook)
Joshua Jahn, 29, was identified by sources as the shooter who fired from a rooftop at a Dallas ICE facility, killing one detainee and injuring two others (Andy Jahn/Facebook)

DALLAS, NORTH CAROLINA: The FBI says the gunman behind the deadly shooting at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas carried out detailed online searches before his attack.

Officials identified the shooter as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, who opened fire from a rooftop, killing one detainee and injuring two others before taking his own life.



 

Kash Patel details Joshua Jahn’s ‘real terror’ note against ICE agents

FBI Director Kash Patel revealed that investigators seized devices and writings from the suspect’s home.

“FBI Dallas and FBI HQ have been working 24/7 to seize devices, exploit data, and process writings obtained on location and in the subject's person/residence/bedroom,” Patel wrote on X.

One handwritten note read, “Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, ’is there a sniper with AP [armor-piercing] rounds on that roof?’” according to Patel.

Patel further disclosed that Jahn searched for online footage of the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah before the Dallas shooting on Wednesday.

OREM, UTAH - SEPTEMBER 10: Charlie Kirk appears at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his
Charlie Kirk appears at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025 in Orem, Utah. Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was speaking at his 'American Comeback Tour' when he was shot in the neck and killed (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty Images)

“He conducted multiple searches of ballistics and the ‘Charlie Kirk Shot Video’ between 9/23-9/24,” Patel wrote.

Joshua Jahn downloaded DHS facility documents before ICE shooting

Kash Patel further added that between August 19 and 24, Jahn also used apps designed to track the presence of ICE agents.

Jahn also downloaded a document titled 'Dallas County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management' that contained a list of Department of Homeland Security facilities.

“Further accumulated evidence to this point indicates a high degree of pre-attack planning,” Patel said.

From a nearby rooftop, Jahn allegedly fired “indiscriminately” at the ICE building and at a van in the sally port where the victims were shot, according to the DHS.

Family of Dallas shooter Joshua Jahn left in shock

The gunfire struck three detainees inside an unmarked transport van before Jahn took his own life.

Authorities said he was found dead on a rooftop with a rifle. Patel also shared a photo of rifle-calibre ammunition engraved with an “anti-ICE” message.

Reached by phone, Jahn’s mother struggled to cope with the tragedy.

“I’m sorry, I can’t talk to you right now,” Sharon Jahn told The Independent while sobbing. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. But I just can’t talk to you now.”

Jahn’s 65-year-old father, Andrew, is a retired mechanical engineer. Sharon, 65, has retired after working as the administrator of a massage school in Plano.

Jahn’s mother Sharon Jahn struggled to cope with the tragedy. 'I’m so sorry' (@JillAnneMi/X)
Joshua Jahn’s mother, Sharon Jahn, struggled to cope with the tragedy (@sharonjahn/Facebook)

Jahn has two siblings: a 26-year-old sister, Kioko, and a 30-year-old brother, Noah.

Noah Jahn was equally distressed over the shooting on Wednesday, saying that he was not prepared to discuss the situation in any detail.

“I’m still trying to...” Noah Jahn said haltingly. “I’m back and forth with the police, I’m just...” He then hung up. Noah Jahn told NBC News that his brother was not particularly political and “didn’t have strong feelings about ICE, as far as I knew.”

Jahn’s voter information shows that he was not registered with any particular party.

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