The suspected sniper who killed two Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees and wounded another in a shooting at a facility in Dallas was found with “anti-ICE messaging,” according to the FBI.
No ICE agents were injured in the shooting at the holding center in northwest Dallas, officials confirmed, but the victims were ICE detainees, the Department of Homeland Security said.
In total, four people were shot in the violence that unfolded Wednesday morning, including the suspect who died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Dallas police said.
Joseph Rothrock, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the Dallas field office, said the incident is being investigated as an act of targeted violence, while FBI Director Kash Patel said casings recovered from the scene were “engraved with the phrase ANTI ICE.’”
Officials have yet to reveal the identities of the victims or the suspect.
Here’s everything we know about the shooting
Suspected sniper died from self-inflicted gunshot wound
Officials have not shared details about the suspected sniper, other than to confirm he is dead, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed.
The suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Noem said.
He was found dead on the roof of a nearby immigration attorney’s office.
The preliminary investigation determined that a suspect opened fire at a government building from an adjacent building, authorities said.
FBI: Shooting being investigated as ‘act of targeted violence’
Local, state and federal officials gave a brief press conference near the scene of the shooting, where the FBI said the incident was being investigated as an act of targeted violence.
Special Agent Joe Rothrock said early evidence showed that ammunition rounds found near the shooter contained “anti-ICE” messages.
Acting director of the Dallas ICE office, Joshua Johnson, also called for an end to stop “acts of violence against ICE employees.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz condemned “politically motivated violence.”
“To every politician who is demonizing ICE, who is demonizing CBP: stop,” he told the press conference. “This has very real consequences.”
He referred to the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk two weeks ago. “We should not be putting language out there that inspires mad men to commit evil crimes,” Cruz added.
Officials only took a few questions before closing down the press conference, refusing to answer questions about the victims in the shooting being ICE detainees.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson called for patience while authorities work to establish the facts.
“It’s a scary time,” Johnson said. “I would ask all of you, all the city of Dallas residents who can hear me right now, let’s be patient, let’s be calm.”
What the Trump administration has said about the shooting
The Trump administration has been quick to tie the shooting to critics of ICE and President Donald Trump’s sweeping anti-immigration operation.
Trump is yet to comment on the shooting but White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed the finger at the Democrats for “demonizing” ICE law enforcement officials.
“Democrats must stop demonizing the heroic men and women of ICE who are just doing their jobs to keep Americans safe,” Leavitt said in a post on X.
FBI Director Kash Patel shared an image of the casings in a post on X. “While the investigation is ongoing, an initial review of the evidence shows an idealogical [sic] motive behind this attack (see photo below),” Patel said. “One of the unspent shell casings recovered was engraved with the phrase ‘ANTI ICE.’”
“We are only miles from Prarieland, Texas where just two months ago an individual ambushed a separate ICE facility targeting their officers,” Patel added. “It has to end and the FBI and our partners will lead these investigative efforts to see to it that those who target our law enforcement are pursued and brought to the fullest extent of justice.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the incident “must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences.”
Vice President JD Vance was one of the first to comment publicly and said the shooting was “an obsessive attack on law enforcement.”
“The obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop,” Vance posted on X. “I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families.”
