A sniper perched on a Dallas rooftop opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Wednesday morning, killing at least one and injuring others before apparently committing suicide.
Police responded to a call at the detention facility, located at 8101 North Stemmons Freeway near Interstate 35E, on Wednesday morning around 7 a.m. to conduct a search for potential sniper activity or multiple gunmen.
The gunman used a rifle to fire shots at the facility from an adjacent building. Three people sustained gunshot injuries, with two transported to an area hospital and one killed at the scene, according to reports from Fox4 Dallas-Fort Worth.
Police sources tell the local television station that the shooter, identified as a white male died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head as he was approached by agents. All three victims were reportedly ICE detainees but it was not immediately clear if they were the intended targets.
“We know our ICE law enforcement was not injured, but we’re not sure about local security and other local law enforcement that looks like there may have potentially been injuries there,” Homeland Security Spokeswoman Tricia Mclaughlin said on Fox News as details were emerging.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that while specifics were still developing, the agency had verified “multiple injuries and fatalities” at the field office.
“Details are still emerging but we can confirm there were multiple injuries and fatalities,” she said in a post on X.
The facility was the scene of a bomb threat in August, when 36-year-old Bratton Dean Wilkinson walked up to the entrance and claimed that he had a bomb in his backpack and a “detonator” attached to his wrist. He was quickly taken into custody without incident.
Wednesday’s shooting was the latest in a number of incidents at ICE facilities across Texas.
A July 4 assault on a Texas immigration detention facility resulted in a police officer being wounded by gunfire to the neck. The attackers, wearing black tactical gear, fired shots outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, located southwest of Dallas. Authorities have filed charges against at least 11 individuals related to the incident.
A few days later, on Ryan Louis Mosqueda used an assault rifle to fire multiple rounds at federal agents departing a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen. Before being fatally shot by authorities, Mosqueda wounded a responding police officer. A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed additional weapons, ammunition, and backpacks.
PERRY CHIARAMONTE
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