Appearing ICE Director Todd Lyons referred to as the capturing Wednesday morning at a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, which killed one detainee and critically wounded two, his “worst nightmare.”
For Lyons, who beforehand labored in a Dallas ICE workplace, the capturing “actually hit dwelling.”
“Seeing the images right this moment, a few of the bullets have been in an workplace that I used to have there,” he stated on “Prime Story with Tom Llamas.” “It’s only a horrible feeling. Folks at all times ask me what’s the factor that retains me up at evening. It’s the security of the women and men of ICE.”
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Three detainees have been shot when gunfire rang out round 6:40 a.m. Wednesday. One sufferer died on the scene, and the 2 others have been taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds, Dallas police stated. No ICE officers have been damage.
“My coronary heart goes out that detainee’s household. We’re charged with their safety, their custody. Nothing like that ought to occur,” Lyons stated.
The shooter, who a number of senior legislation enforcement officers briefed on the investigation recognized as Joshua Jahn, had fired from a close-by roof or an elevated place down into the sphere workplace’s sally port, ICE stated.
The shooter was discovered lifeless with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, ICE stated. A bullet discovered close to the shooter bore messages that have been “anti-ICE” in nature, the Dallas workplace of the FBI stated, calling the assault an act of “focused violence.”
Lyons stated he discovered the shooter fired bullets “indiscriminately,” hanging home windows and foyer doorways, and that the shooter fired upon the sally port, the place detainees are introduced in. The victims have been shot whereas they have been in autos, he stated.
“The detainees weren’t outdoors a automobile. The shooter was simply capturing at random autos inside. They have been nonetheless hit contained in the automobile,” Lyons stated. “There have been some courageous women and men on the bottom that went into these vans, have been pulling these detainees out whereas they’re underneath hearth.”
He stated the capturing was notably alarming as a result of it occurred within the morning commute hours, close to an interstate, residences and companies, that means extra individuals might have been damage.
“This was a focused assault on ICE, however this actually might’ve damage anybody,” Lyons stated.
Lyons stated there was a rise in assaults “on ICE officers and brokers nationwide.”
“It’s dangerous sufficient the women and men of ICE should go on the market and put themselves in hurt’s approach, doing their legislation enforcement mission, however by no means pondering that in our personal facility, our personal location, we take sniper hearth in a serious metropolis,” he stated.
His message to ICE brokers is: “I completely have their again.”
“My No. 1 mission is ensuring they go dwelling to their households each evening,” he stated.
