In a disturbing turn of events at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, three individuals were shot, including detainees, and the shooter ultimately died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. This tragic incident was confirmed by Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons during a CNN interview on Wednesday.
Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security spokesperson, later updated Fox News with the information that no ICE agents sustained injuries in this attack.
According to McLaughlin, it appears the shooter targeted law enforcement and detainees from an apartment complex nearby. “Detainees were among the victims of the shooting,” she noted.
Emergency responders quickly sprang into action after getting a call for assistance on North Stemmons Freeway around 6:40 a.m. Officials from Dallas police reported that early indications showed someone had opened fire on the government building from a neighboring apartment complex, stated Officer Jonathen E. Maner via email.
The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department was also alerted to the shooting, as confirmed by spokesperson Jason L. Evans in an email, following a report regarding an incident at or near the immigration office.
There were two victims from the shooting admitted to Parkland Hospital, but more details about their condition haven’t been shared yet, according to hospital spokesperson April Foran. A third individual involved tragically died at the scene.
The chaos brought dozens of emergency vehicles to the scene, and heavy traffic was witnessed on nearby routes leading to the facility.
This ICE facility is notably located along Interstate 35 East, just southwest of the bustling Dallas Love Field airport and is within blocks of hotels catering to travelers.
Surveillance footage from nearby traffic cameras depicted a normally bustling freeway being reduced to traffic-less lanes, with vehicles and semitrailers completely at a standstill.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mentioned that while details are still unfolding, they have confirmed there were “multiple injuries and fatalities” at the field office. Noem also stated that the motive behind the shooting remains uncertain, although she pointed out an increase in assaults targeting ICE personnel.
Despite multiple requests, ICE and Homeland Security have not released further details at this time.
This tragic event comes on the heels of a troubling incident on July 4, where police officers were injured following an armed assault at a Texas immigration detention center. There, attackers, attired in military-style garments, unleashed gunfire outside the Prairieland Detention Center located southwest of Dallas, resulting in at least 11 people being charged in relation to that attempt.
In another related incident on July 7, a man with an assault rifle initiated a barrage of gunfire at federal agents departing from a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen, during which a police officer responding to the scene was injured. The identified shooter, Ryan Louis Mosqueda, was ultimately shot and killed by authorities, who later discovered other weapons and supplies inside his vehicle.
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Contributors to this report include Associated Press journalists Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland, and Jeff Martin in Atlanta.
