By Eniola Amadu
At least one person was killed and two others wounded on Wednesday after a gunman opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas, Texas, before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
The Dallas Police Department confirmed officers responded to reports of gunfire around 6:40 a.m. local time (1140 GMT) at the ICE office in northwest Dallas.
Investigators believe the suspect fired into the building from an adjacent location.
Police said two victims were taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, while a third person was pronounced dead at the scene.
ICE officials confirmed that none of their officers were injured, but it remained unclear whether the victims were detainees, local security staff or law enforcement.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said on Fox News that investigators are examining whether the shots were fired from the rooftop of a nearby apartment building.
“Those details are still murky. It looked like it might have been a sniper or some sort of a long-form shot,” she explained.
She added that the incident occurred at a field office, not a detention facility, stressing that the location is used for short-term processing of recently arrested detainees.
The attack comes amid heightened political tensions in the United States. Two weeks ago, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead by a sniper during an event in Orem, Utah, sparking fears of escalating political violence.
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have pointed fingers at liberal groups, alleging without evidence that they are fueling unrest.
On Monday, Trump signed an executive order declaring the anti-fascist movement, Antifa, a domestic terrorist organization, despite no public evidence linking it to Kirk’s killing.
The office has been at the center of controversy in recent months as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on undocumented immigration.
Protests outside the facilities have grown increasingly tense, with demonstrators clashing with heavily armed agents.
Last week, clashes outside an office facility in suburban Chicago left several protesters injured, including the mayor of Evanston, Illinois.
In July, another center in Alvarado, Texas, was targeted during a protest that ended with multiple gunshots fired and one police officer injured.
Authorities in Dallas said investigations into Wednesday’s shooting are ongoing.
