KEY POINTS:
- Two ICE detainees confirmed dead, third in critical condition, according to Fox 4 Dallas
- Shooter identified as white male who died from self-inflicted gunshot wound, per multiple law enforcement sources
- Incident occurred at approximately 6:30-6:40 AM at Dallas ICE field office, according to Dallas Police Department
Two Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees are dead and a third is in critical condition after a sniper opened fire at a Dallas ICE facility Wednesday morning, according to Fox 4 Dallas, citing law enforcement sources.
The shooting occurred just after 6:30 a.m. at the Dallas ICE facility on North Stemmons Freeway, Fox 4 reported. Dallas Police Department stated on X that they responded to a call at around 6:40 a.m. in the 8100 block of North Stemmons Freeway.
According to ICE Director Todd Lyons as reported by ABC News, the shooter appeared “to be a sniper from an elevated position” firing from “a couple hundred yards” away. NBC News reported that an ICE spokesperson confirmed the shooter fired multiple rounds from a roof or elevated position down into the field office’s sally port, or secure entryway. Dallas Police Department said on X that the suspect opened fire “from an adjacent building.”
Fox 4 Dallas, citing FBI sources, reported that the shooter was on the roof of a law firm building behind the Dallas ICE facility and fired into an unmarked van with an ATF driver that was bringing detainees to the facility. CNN reported from a law enforcement official briefed on the case that the shooter opened fire into a van belonging to another federal agency, not an Immigration and Customs Enforcement van, that was bringing detainees into the facility.
The suspected shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Fox 4 Dallas, citing police sources, reported the sniper was identified as a white male who was armed with a rifle on a roof and shot himself as agents approached him.
NBC News confirmed through an ICE spokesperson that all three people shot were ICE detainees and that no ICE officers were hurt. ABC News initially reported that ICE said in a now-deleted statement that a gunman fired “indiscriminately” at the building and at people moving through the facility’s secured passageway.
“There was a shooting this morning at the Dallas ICE Detention Facility,” Noem wrote on X, as reported by multiple outlets. “Details are still emerging but we can confirm there were multiple injuries and fatalities.” She added, “While we don’t know motive yet, we know that our ICE law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott responded on X, according to NBC News, stating that Texas “fully supports ICE” and noted that the “Texas Dept. of Public Safety & Texas National Guard work closely with ICE.” Abbott added, “This assassination will NOT slow our arrest, detention, & deportation of illegal immigrants.”
Vice President JD Vance called the shooting an “obsessive attack on law enforcement” that “must stop,” according to CNN and NBC News. “I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families,” Vance wrote on X.
CNN reported that an audio recording captured by Broadcastify showed police were responding to a report of a “sniper on top of the roof.” The recording included an officer saying, “We’ve got one officer on scene. We’ve got one officer en route … This is going to be a sniper on top of the roof.”
According to CNN, this marked at least the third instance of an ICE or Customs and Border Protection facility being targeted by gunfire in Texas this year. ABC News reported that two Texas facilities were targeted in July: a police officer was shot at an ICE detention facility in Alvarado, and a gunman opened fire at the entrance of the Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen.
The Dallas News reported that the office has been a backdrop for protests over Trump-era immigration enforcement and that demonstrations this year have included CAIR-DFW and Students for Justice in Palestine, the Brown Berets de DFW, and regular prayer vigils by interfaith clergy and Faith Commons.
Fox 4 Dallas reported that in August, a 35-year-old man identified as 36-year-old Bratton Dean Wilkinson was arrested after police say he showed up to the same Dallas office and claimed to have a bomb in his backpack and detonator on his wrist. CNN confirmed through a Department of Homeland Security statement that Wilkinson arrived at the Dallas ICE facility on August 25 and “claimed to have a bomb in his backpack.”
According to ICE Director Todd Lyons as reported by ABC News, he would put all ICE facilities on a higher alert to protect agents and civilians carrying out the agency’s mission. Fox 4 Dallas reported that Dallas police and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson were expected to hold a news conference to release more information about the incident.
NBC News reported that the FBI office in Dallas is responding to the shooting, with the Dallas Police Department as the lead responding agency. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino posted on X, according to CNN, stating “The FBI is fully engaged, in conjunction with our state and federal law enforcement partners, at the crime scene in Dallas.”
CNN reported through a former senior ICE official that the facility where the shooting occurred has three or four holding cells, where detainees are usually processed before they are transferred to a detention center, with capacity ranging from a few detainees to around 100 people.
