This is a developing story and will be updated as we learn more about the suspected shooter.
The 29-year-old man who killed at least one person before turning the gun on himself outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Wednesday morning has been identified as Joshua Jahn.
A law enforcement official identified the suspect to the Associated Press. The official could not publicly disclose details of the investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. Dallas and Fairview police directed any inquiries to the FBI, which did not respond to a KERA request for information.
Jahn is suspected of shooting and killing one ICE detainee and leaving two others in critical condition outside an ICE field office in Dallas early Wednesday morning. The FBI said no law enforcement officers were shot.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said at least one bullet casing was discovered to have “Anti-ICE” written on it. At a press conference Thursday, Northern District pf Texas acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Larson said found a collection of notes at his home.
One said: “yes, it was just me and my brain,” Larson said. He referred to ICE agents as "people showing up to collect a dirty paycheck,” and said he wanted to inflict terror on agents, according to Larson.
It was just after 6:30 a.m. Wednesday when investigators say Jahn opened fire, shooting “indiscriminately” toward the sallyport of the Dallas ICE field office, killing one detainee and critically injury two others.
Investigators and politicians have pointed to the bullet casing and handwritten notes as evidence that the shooting was politically motivated.
No violent criminal record
Jahn was arrested and pleaded guilty to marijuana charges in 2016 and received 5 years probation and $680 in fines and restitution, according to Collin County court records. But he has no record of violent crime. He was released early from his probation in 2017, according to court records.
After he was released on the marijuana charges, Jahn worked on a legal cannabis farm in Washington, the Associated Press reported. Ryan Sanderson, the owner of that cannabis farm said Jahn slept in his car.
Jahn seemed lost during his time at the cannabis farm but didn’t come off as mentally unwell, Sanderson told AP.
“I don’t remember him being that abnormal, he didn’t seem to fight with anyone or cause trouble, he kept his head down and stayed working,” Sanderson said.
Life in Texas and Oklahoma
Jahn was the middle child, born in Texas and raised in Allenwith an older brother and younger sister. His father worked for more than 36 years as an engineer for a firm in Allen and retired in June 2020, according to his LinkedIn bio. Jahn’s older brother had an internship with that same company in 2013, according to his own LinkedIn.
Jahn attended the University of Texas at Dallas for about a year starting in 2015, according to public records. He also attended Collin College off-and-on from 2013 to 2018, a spokesperson for the school told KERA news in an email Wednesday.
While public records suggest Jahn was living with his parents in Fairview, he also at some point in 2024 lived at his family’s property in Durant, Oklahoma. Public records in that state show Jahn was registered as an independent in 2021 in Oklahoma and voted there in the 2024 general election.
A spokesperson for the Durant police told KERA News they had no interactions with Jahn in any capacity.
"After meticulous review of Durant Police Department records I have found there are no police reports involving 29 year old Joshua Jahn," read an email fromLiz Phelps with the office’s records department. “He has had no encounters with Durant Police Department as a reporting party, victim or suspect. There are no calls for service where his name appears in any capacity.”
A LinkedIn profile lists his latest job at a solar energy company from November 2018 to May 2019. No other social media accounts could be verified as belonging to Jahn Thursday morning.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed Jahn worked there for a few months in 2017 and 2018.
"We are very saddened by the absolutely unacceptable violence in Dallas today," the spokesperson told KERA News in an email. "The suspected shooter was an employee of ours many years ago and worked for us for a few months. We must all do everything we can to come together as Americans and end this senseless political violence."
A quiet cul-de-sac
Jahn most recentlylived at his parents’ home in Fairview, a suburb about 30 miles north of Dallas, according to public records. The city is in a rapidly urbanizing part of North Texas, less than 20 minutes from Princeton, the fastest growing city in the US.
That house, near the end of the typicallyquiet cul-de-sac in the 1100 block of Wynford Court, was swarmed Wednesdayby law enforcement after the shooting.
KERA saw agents from the FBI and ATF joined by local law enforcement, blocking off the dead-end street lined with trees and expansive, manicured front yards. On Wednesday afternoon, a reporter saw a blue Ford pickup drive quickly into the neighborhood and pull into the driveway of Jahn’s home.
Residents told KERA News the scene was far from ordinary for the community. Along that street, Sherry Davis said she used to feel like she was pretty familiar with her neighbors.
“This is a very small community of eight, 10 houses, and we all feel like we know each other,” Davis said. “Clearly I didn't know them very well.”
Jahn's next door neighbor was trying to get back to her house — which was blocked off by police — and said she was "shocked" at the news. She didn't know Jahn well, she said, but said she was friendly with him and his family.
"I didn't know too much about him, but like I said very sweet family," he said. "So that was really, really surprising to hear."
‘Tone it down’
The attack comes on the heels of the assassination of conservative influencer and political activist Charlie Kirk at a university campus in Utah and follows the July 4 shooting at ICEs Prairieland Detention Center.
An Alvarado police officer was shot in the Prairieland Detention Center attack and has since recovered. Authorities have announced 17 arrests in connection with the shooting.
The attacks on ICE facilities, along with the killing of Charlie Kirk,attempted assassinations of PresidentDonald Trump and the assassination of Democratic Minnesota state Rep.Melissa Hortman and her husband have set a trend of political violence.
The shooting at the Dallas ICE facility is the third in Texas targeting the agency or U.S. Customs and Boarder Protection. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Wednesday that attacks on law enforcement must be stopped.
"To every politician who is using rhetoric demonizing ICE and demonizing CBP, stop," Cruz told reporters. "To every politician demanding that ICE agents be doxxed and calling for people to go after their families, stop."
To Davis, the family’s neighbor, the shooting was another reminder to Americans and elected officials that emotions need to be better controlled, rhetoric should be more thoughtful and people need to learn to work through their differences without violence.
"We all need to tone it down and check our feelings and try to communicate better, but it's up to all of us to do it," Davis said. “Stop being so inflammatory toward each other and just, you know, do our best to compromise and get along.”
Additional reporting by the Associated Press.
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