Shooter Identified After One Person Dies, Two Injured at a Texas ICE Facility - What We Know

Gunfire, chaos, and a chilling message: Lone rooftop shooter who opened fire on ICE van in deadly Dallas ambush identified, as President Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security comment on the incident.

Authorities have identified the man behind Wednesday's fatal shooting near a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office. The attack left one detainee dead and two others injured.

Gunman Opens Fire 'Indiscriminately' Before Turning the Weapon on Himself

Authorities confirmed the suspected shooter as Joshua Jahn, 29, who fired from a rooftop overlooking the federal facility in Dallas. His target: an ICE transport van ferrying detainees. Officials said Joshua fired "indiscriminately" before turning the gun on himself in a chilling act of apparent suicide.

Nearby, investigators recovered spent shell casings, some etched with disturbing, anti-government messages. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel revealed one bullet bore the words "ANTI ICE," while others contained messages described as "anti-ICE in nature."

Although no ICE officers were physically harmed, the Department of Homeland Security wasted no time labeling it "an attack on ICE law enforcement," underlining the gravity of the assault on federal authority.

As the investigation deepens, a murky picture of the shooter's past has begun to emerge — raising more questions than answers.

Quiet Past, Digital Obsessions, and a Growing Mystery

A spokesperson for the University of Texas at Dallas confirmed that someone matching the shooter's name and birthdate briefly attended the university more than a decade ago.

Two childhood friends, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of harassment, told ABC News they had not seen him in years but remembered him as a teen with a passion for gaming and internet culture. "This is a complete shock to me," one of them said. "Josh was the least political out of all the people I knew in high school. He liked playing video games."

Their memories were backed by online activity linked to Joshua, including a Steam gaming profile and a Reddit account.

The Reddit page, inactive for about six years, included posts about marijuana and online gaming culture. His Steam account, however, painted a picture of a devoted gamer, logging more than 10,000 hours across titles such as "Team Fortress 2," "Left 4 Dead 2," and "Rust."

Donald Trump and Kristi Noem Respond to Attack: 'This Is Despicable!' and 'It Must Stop'

In the aftermath of the attack, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the nation through a strongly worded message posted on Truth Social.

"I have been briefed on the deadly shooting at the ICE Field Office in Dallas, Texas. It has now been revealed the [sic] deranged shooter wrote 'Anti-ICE' on his shell casings. This is despicable!" reads a portion of his politically-charged comment.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also addressed the matter, taking to X with a message that recounted the known details thus far. "While we don't know motive [sic] yet, we know that our ICE law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them. It must stop. Please pray for the victims and their families," she added.

While national leaders expressed outrage, the gunman's shattered family struggled to make sense of the bloodshed.

'I'm So Sorry… I Can't Talk': Shooter's Mother Breaks Down in Tears, While His Brother Is at a Loss for Words

Joshua's family struggled to comprehend what had unfolded, with emotions running raw in the hours after the shooting. Reached at her home in a Dallas suburb, Joshua's mother, Sharon Jahn, broke down over the phone.

"I'm sorry, I can't talk to you right now," she told The Independent through sobs. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. But I just can't talk to you now." Sharon, 65, is retired from her work as an administrator of a massage school in Plano, while Joshua's father, Andrew Jahn, also 65, is a retired mechanical engineer.

The couple has three children: Joshua, his older brother Noah Jahn, 30, and his younger sister Kioko Jahn, 26. Noah was also said to be shaken as he tried to reconcile the news. "I'm still trying to…" he said hesitantly, before trailing off. "I'm back and forth with the police, I'm just…" He then ended the call.

Attempts to reach Andrew were unsuccessful. Speaking to NBC News, Noah described Joshua as someone who showed little interest in politics and had never expressed opposition to ICE within the family.

From Boy Scout to Suspect: A 'Unique' Man with No Signs of Violence

"He didn't have strong feelings about ICE as far as I knew," Noah divulged, adding that his brother was not someone he ever imagined being involved in a politically driven attack. "I didn't think he was politically interested. He wasn't interested in politics on either side as far as I knew."

The brothers grew up together in Allen, Texas, where they spent their childhood in the Boy Scouts. Noah recalled that Joshua had done some coding work but was unemployed at the time of the shooting and had been planning to relocate to their parents' property in Oklahoma.

While their parents owned a rifle and Joshua was familiar with how to use it, Noah dismissed the notion that his brother possessed any advanced shooting skills. "He's not a marksman, that's for sure," he explained. "He would not be able to make any shots like that."

At that time, Noah had not gotten word that his brother, whom he dubbed "unique," had been identified as the shooter. Noah last saw Joshua just two weeks ago during a visit to their parents' home. At that time, he said, nothing appeared unusual or alarming in Joshua's demeanor.

A past Drug Charge, and a Gunman No One Saw Coming

As relatives painted a picture of a man who seemed detached from politics and largely unremarkable in his daily life, court records revealed another dimension to Joshua's past. Documents from Collin County show that in 2016, he was arrested by the sheriff's office and charged with delivering marijuana.

The following year, Joshua pleaded guilty to delivering quantities between a quarter of an ounce and five pounds. He received a $500 fine and was placed on probation for five years. However, his compliance with the terms of supervision led officials to recommend an early release.

On April 4, 2017, a judge approved the request, closing the case less than two years after it began. Public records also indicate that Joshua was registered as an independent voter and most recently cast a ballot in the 2024 general election.

As details about Joshua's past came to light, chilling first-hand accounts also emerged from those who found themselves caught in the chaos.

'That's Very Close!': Witness Captures Chaos as Shots Ring Out

One woman, sheltering inside her car with others parked near the ICE facility, began recording a video just as gunfire echoed nearby.

The morning was pierced by rapid shots, clearly audible in the clip she later shared. Denises Robleto, who had been waiting to pick up her mother, was on a video call with her sister when the attack began. In the recording, a female passenger can be heard in Spanish saying, "That's very close, that's very close," as the gunfire rang out.

Her sister urged her to stay put, warning, "Don't get out, stay inside the car." But Denises stepped outside to see what was happening, only to be met with the sound of screams coming from the facility. Though she and the passengers with her were unharmed, the terror of the moment lingered.

Later, she told CNN that her car had been pulled into the investigation as part of the crime scene, forcing her to miss both a doctor's appointment and a ride she had scheduled for her job with Uber.

Her first thought, however, was of her mother, who was inside the facility for an appointment when the shooting began. "I had never seen anything so stunning and so close before," Denises recounted.

Mysterious Vehicle, Cryptic Sign, and Bomb Squad Sweep

In the hours that followed, the investigation stretched beyond the immediate crime scene. A CNN team observed authorities swarming an office building near the ICE facility, where they searched a Toyota with Texas plates.

The car drew particular attention for a sign affixed to its side, depicting a map of the United States with the words, "Radioactive fallout from nuclear detonations have [sic] passed over these areas more than 2x since 1951."

Before anyone approached the car, bomb squad teams swept the area for explosives. A source confirmed that search warrants were also being executed at properties tied to Joshua in the suburbs outside of Dallas.

It remains unclear if the car is linked directly to the shooting. For now, the discovery stands as one of many pieces of evidence in a case that has left a community shaken, a family reeling, and investigators still working to piece together why an ordinary Wednesday morning descended into violence.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.