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One person was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Authorities added that the shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Dallas police department said that officers responded to a call at approximately 6.40am on Wednesday, 24 September.
“The preliminary investigation determined that a suspect opened fire at a government building from an adjacent building,” the police said in a statement. “Two people were transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds. One victim died at the scene. The suspect is deceased.”
Police noted that “this is an ongoing investigation” and that they’d “hold a media briefing later today”.
Parkland hospital in Dallas confirmed to the Associated Press that it had received two patients from the incident at the Ice facility. The hospital spokesperson did not have any details about their conditions.
Kristi Noem, the Department of Homeland security secretary, confirmed in a statement that the suspected shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound and said that details about the incident were “still emerging” but confirmed that there were “multiple injuries and fatalities” at the Ice field office.
“While we don’t know motive yet, we know that our Ice law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them,” Noem said. “It must stop.”
Law enforcement officials told CNN that at least two of the victims were Ice detainees.
Todd Lyons, the acting Ice director, told the network that the “scene is secure” and said that three people were shot and taken to the hospital.
An Ice spokesperson has also told NBC News that all three people shot were detainees at the facility, and no Ice agents were shot or hurt.
Dan Bongino, the deputy director of the FBI, said that the agency is “fully engaged, in conjunction with our state and federal law enforcement partners, at the crime scene in Dallas”.
JD Vance, the vice-president, called the shooting an “obsessive attack on law enforcement” that “must stop”. Though, as noted above, no Ice agents were injured.
“I’m praying for everyone hurt in this attack and for their families,” Vance wrote on X.
Ted Cruz, the Texas senator, said that he and his team were “praying for the swift recovery of those injured, and we are deeply grateful to the brave first responders who rushed to the scene”.
John Cornyn, another Republican senator who represents Texas, called the shooting “horrific”.
“While law enforcement investigates, I am keeping everyone impacted in my prayers,” he said. “My staff have been in touch with federal & local officials in Dallas, and we will make sure all resources are brought to bear in the investigation.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement that “Texas fully supports Ice”.
“This assassination will NOT slow our arrest, detention, & deportation of illegal immigrants,” he said. “We will work with ICE & the Dallas Police Dept. to get to the bottom of the assassin’s motive.”
