I have some unanswered questions about the Dallas ICE facility shooting.
In addition to writing for Baptist News Global, I also serve as justice and advocacy minister at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas. In that role, I joined a number of interfaith clergy in May as we began holding weekly prayer vigils in front of the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
When news broke that a shooter had killed a detainee and wounded two others, my phone began ringing nonstop. Our group wasn’t at the facility on the morning of the shooting, but we know the area well.
Mara Richards Bim
The next day, several members of my church and I happened to be in the Immigration Court Building near the location of the shooting. Imagine my surprise when I arrived to the courthouse and learned officials would be holding a press conference to update the public about the shooting. I naturally took the opportunity to sit in and listen.
The press conference was hosted by Nancy E. Larson, acting United States attorney for the Northern District of Texas who was only appointed to her post on May 29. Also speaking were R. Joseph Rothrock, the FBI’s special agent in charge of the Dallas field office and Marcos Charles, acting executive associate director of ICE’s enforcement and removal operations, who also was appointed to his role May 29.
I left the press conference with more questions than answers, and the reactions by the government officials to some of the questions being asked are — interesting, to say the least.
I encourage everyone to watch the full, unedited press conference, which can be found on WFAA, DFW’s local ABC affiliate. As we navigate the present-day media landscape, I believe it is incumbent upon all citizens to seek out accurate information rather than relying solely on soundbites and political commentary.
After sitting in on the press conference, here are some questions I believe news media and the public should continue to pursue answers to:
“The shooter used an antique 8-millimeter bolt-action rifle that requires one to manually rotate the handle in order to extract one cartridge and reload the next one. Yet, officials claim the facility was ‘riddled with bullets.’”
- The shooter used an antique 8-millimeter bolt-action rifle that requires one to manually rotate the handle in order to extract one cartridge and reload the next one. Yet, officials claim the facility was “riddled with bullets.” How many bullets were fired? And how is that possible with a bolt-action rifle?
- From whom did the shooter purchase this antique weapon in August? What is the ideological leaning of the seller?
- This bolt-action rifle is similar to the one used recently to murder Charlie Kirk. Shooters in both cases are reported to have been heavily involved in gaming culture. What other similarities and differences exist between the two shooters in these cases?
- The government says this was an attack targeting ICE agents, yet no ICE agents were shot; only immigrants. The official assessment is based, in part, on one bullet found near the shooter’s body. Did any of the spent bullet casings have messages written on them?
- Are any other motives for the shooting being pursued? Is it possible the Dallas shooting is intended to be an instigating event leading to greater political violence?
- How many ICE and Department of Homeland Security employees were visible in the parking lot/sallyport when the shooting began? Given the government’s position that this was a targeted attack on ICE agents, is the theory that the shooter had such terrible aim that the only victims were detainees sitting in a van?
- The government said the shooter left behind handwritten notes saying “he wanted to cause maximum damage, but that he did not intend to harm or kill any detainees.” If that’s the case, how does the government explain the fact that only detainees sitting in a van were shot?
- How long were the detainees left shackled in the van under gunfire before they were evacuated?
- Were the detainees evacuated from the van by Dallas Police, ICE, DHS or some combination?
- Regarding the detainees who came under fire, how many either currently or previously held Temporary Protected Status? How long have they lived in the U.S.? How many have been convicted of crimes in the U.S.? Where were they transported to after the shooting?
- Reports state the shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Did he use the same gun (the bolt-action rifle) to do that? How common — or even possible — is it for that kind of weapon to be used for suicide?
- In the press conference, officials specifically condemned the third-party apps being used by immigrant rights’ groups to notify people when ICE agents conduct raids nearby. One official criticized the media for amplifying these apps, going so far as to say: “We truly wish we didn’t have to say, ‘I told you so.’ But here we are.” Isn’t it safe to assume ICE agents would be located at the ICE administrative offices without the use of an app? Is there any evidence the shooter used one of these apps the day of the shooting?
These are a few of the questions I have about the case. What questions do you have?
Mara Richards Bim serves as a Clemons Fellow with BNG and is the first Justice and Advocacy Fellow at Royal Lane Baptist Church in Dallas. She is a spiritual director and a recent Master of Divinity degree graduate from Perkins School of Theology at SMU. She also is an award-winning theater artist and founder of the nationally acclaimed Cry Havoc Theater Company, which operated in Dallas from 2014 to 2023.