The suspected gunman in the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility shooting had difficulty retaining a job, believed he had radiation sickness, and was a “loner,” according to his parents.
The suspect, Joshua Jahn, killed two ICE detainees and injured another when he targeted the Dallas field office from a nearby rooftop in late September. Bullet casings emblazoned with anti-ICE messages were found after the attack, which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said “was motivated by hatred for ICE.” Investigators haven’t determined a motive for the shooting.
Jahn’s parents described him as “completely normal” before he moved to Washington state several years ago, according to an Associated Press report with new details on the suspect. He moved across the country to work for a cannabis farm in a Washington county that had been a site of Manhattan Project nuclear bomb development. Jahn’s parents described him as a “loner” who had an affinity for artificial intelligence and violent video games.
Jahn had difficulty keeping a job and lived out of his car during his time working at the cannabis farm. His parents said he believed he developed radiation sickness while living in Washington state.
Jahn had also developed the belief that he was “allergic to plastic,” according to his parents, and used gloves to restrict himself from touching the material.
The vehicle at the scene of the shooting that authorities believe belonged to Jahn had a sticker with the words “Radioactive fallout from nuclear detonations have passed over these areas more than 2x since 1951” written above a map of the United States.
Jahn had practiced shooting about one month ahead of the September attack at his parents’ property in Durant, Oklahoma, according to the report. Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the Dallas field office, said Jahn “legally obtained an 8mm bolt-action rifle he used in the shooting in August.” Jahn’s father said he was surprised when his son had a rifle of his own to practice with in Oklahoma.
DALLAS SHOOTING SUSPECT JOSHUA JAHN WANTED TO ‘GIVE ICE AGENTS REAL TERROR’: FBI
Officials still have not determined the motive of the suspect for choosing to attack the Dallas ICE facility or whether or not the rifle Jahn used to practice was the same one used in the ICE shooting, according to records.
The FBI did not respond to the Washington Examiner‘s request for comment. The agency’s automatic response message says, “During the current lapse in appropriations, FBI operations are directed toward national security, violations of federal law, and essential public safety functions. Media inquiries outside of these functions will be considered when the lapse in appropriations ends.”