North Texas experts consider next moves for Dallas ICE shooting investigation

DALLAS - According to the FBI, Dallas ICE facility shooter Joshua Jahn’s writings show that his ideology was "incredibly anti-ICE."

Law enforcement and justice experts spoke with FOX 4 Friday about the latest on the incident. 

Investigators search for motive

Former FBI counterintelligence/counterterrorism operative Eric O'Neill says that while it’s still unknown where Jahn’s motive came from, he accomplished what he intended, even though he shot people in custody rather than his intended target when he opened fire on transport vans at the ICE processing facility.

Agents have found no connection, loosely or otherwise, to any organized group.

Joshua Jahn's LinkedIn account is also benign, showing six different jobs since 2013, none lasting longer than eight months.

He attended UT Dallas for one year, and Collin College for two years.

'This shooter has succeeded'

What they're saying:

O'Neill says while there yet appears to be nothing, he was influenced either on his own or by others.

"And make sure ICE agents all around the country now are going to be worried for their safety every morning they go to work, and concerned they are going to make it, hope to their families. And in that, this shooter has succeeded," O’Neill said.

"...Radicalized by these different groups or research that they're doing on their own that draws conclusions that are counter to society. Then they can become very dangerous on their own, even if a group doesn't recruit them," O’Neill said.

Nancy Larson is the acting US District Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. 

"One of these notes or papers the sniper explicitly states, ‘Yes, it was just me.’ That statement appears to be correct at this point in the investigation," Larson said. 

In yet another note, the US Attorney said, Jahn reiterated it was just him and his brain responsible.

"And he said, ‘Good luck with the digital footprint,’ and, of course, we take this to mean that he deleted evidence from his devices," Larson said.

O'Neill says it may be deleted, but has not disappeared.

"It's very difficult to burn your digital footprint. People think they can, and you really can't. The FBI can work in different ways to restore it. They will go to companies that he has been chatting on, and ask them for the records. Nothing really is ever deleted in the internet," O’Neill said.

What's next:

Once Jahn's emails, text messages, call logs, and social media apps are restored, agents will be reaching out to everyone who knew him. 

"That will be the focus of the investigation right now. We've heard a lot about why he did it; now we want to know if he had help. And if he did have help, then there could be other arrests," O’Neill said. 

Dallas ICE facility shooting

The backstory:

The deadly Dallas ICE shooting happened early on the morning of Sept. 24.

Law enforcement officials said a sniper on the roof of a nearby building fired indiscriminately at the facility, hitting three detainees who were arriving in a transport van. One of those detainees was killed, and two others were critically injured. No law enforcement officers were hurt.

The shooter, identified as 29-year-old Joshua Jahn, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Bullets found near him had an anti-ICE message.

Investigators searched two homes linked to Jahn in the Collin County town of Fairview and in Durant, Oklahoma. They found handwritten notes pointing to his motive.

"Hopefully this will give ICE agents real terror, to think, ‘Is there a sniper with AP rounds on that roof?’" Jahn wrote in part, according to the FBI.

The notes also stated, ‘Yes, it was just me and my brain,’ and ‘Good luck with the digital footprint.’

Officials believe he acted alone and did not expect to survive. They haven’t found any evidence that he was a member of a specific organization or group, but said there’s evidence of a high degree of pre-attack planning.