A clearer picture is emerging of the gunman who opened fire at an immigration processing office in Dallas on Wednesday, leaving one detainee dead and two others in critical condition.
Officials said the shooter, 29-year-old Joshua Jahn of Princeton, Texas, was targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and “wanted to cause terror.”
FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X that investigators found evidence in the suspect's bedroom, suggesting a "high degree" of planning before the attack, including a downloaded list of homeland security facilities.
@FBIDallas 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. This @FBI is committed to providing timely updates, as promised:- The perp downloaded a document titled "Dallas…
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 25, 2025
They discovered online searches for apps able to track Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and for videos related to the Charlie Kirk assassination, Patel said. Some of those searches were reportedly made as recently as the day of the Dallas shooting.
The FBI said it also found a handwritten note which stated, "Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror to think, is there a sniper with AP rounds on the roof?"
Officials also said they discovered a note that said, "Yes, it was just me."
Patel also posted a picture on Wednesday of an unused bullet found on the rooftop where the shooter opened fire, which had the words “ANTI-ICE” etched on it.
Scripps News found a booking photo and records that show Jahn had a 2016 felony conviction in Texas for marijuana delivery, but no other major criminal past.
President Donald Trump and others in the administration continue to link the shooting to inflammatory rhetoric from political adversaries. Voting records reviewed by Scripps News show Jahn voted in a March 2020 primary election in Texas using a Democratic ballot.
However, officials said on Thursday that they have not been able to link Jahn to any specific group or agency. They added that evidence they've collected shows Jahn "expressed his hatred for the federal government" and intended to "limit collateral damage" during the shooting.
Authorities have said Jahn was firing indiscriminately at the ICE building when he struck three detainees in a van being brought to the center before taking his own life.
One of the injured detainees is a citizen of Mexico, according to a statement by the nation's foreign ministry.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem says DHS is now working to better protect ICE locations from future attacks.
"We are strengthening all of our security at all of our federal facilities and our detention and processing centers," Noem said during an interview on CNN. "We also are continuing to hire more and more law enforcement officers."
