Shooting at an ICE facility: 3 shot including the perpetrator in a sniper-style attack.
By Staff Reporter Dallas, Texas September 24, 2025
A quiet Wednesday morning turned into chaos when gunfire erupted at a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in northwest Dallas. In what investigators are describing as a “sniper-style attack,” three people were injured — including the alleged gunman — in a brazen assault that has rattled both law enforcement and the local community.
A Sudden Eruption of Violence
The incident started shortly before 11:45 a.m. when workers of the ICE Dallas Field Office at Mockingbird Lane were coming back after a mid-morning break. It was reported that the shooter shot several rounds in an obscure place on the rooftop of a parking structure near the facility. There were three distinct pops, as if it were fireworks, and Carlos Jimenez, who was a maintenance worker power-washing a sidewalk in the area, said this. Then everybody began to flee around. Security called to all to go down. Building alarms went off in seconds, and dozens of ICE workers took refuge in conference rooms and break areas. Multiple agencies of law enforcement officers, such as the Dallas Police, FBI, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), rushed to the area, cordoning off a six-block area.
Quick Response to Law Violations
At a press conference the evening of the incident, Dallas Police Chief Robert Garcia announced that the shooter had been neutralized within minutes after the first shots. Garcia said that responding officers did so in an exceptionally fast and equally professional manner. They averted what otherwise would have been a much more tragic event. According to the authorities, a return fire critically wounded the suspect, who was later on to be identified as Evan Porter, 36. He was escorted into the care of the Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he is in stable condition awaiting surgery. Two of the victims, who were both ICE employees, were also admitted to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries: Administrative Assistant Jordan Ng, 29, and Senior Field Agent Denise Morales, 42.
The Victims: Caught in the Chaos of Dedicated Workers
Denise Morales: Agent of the Day
Denise Morales is a 12-year-old ICE veteran whose colleagues have described her as being calm, compassionate, and mission-driven. It is said that she was standing close to the loading dock of the facility when a bullet passed by her shoulder. One colleague who wished to remain anonymous came out to say to me that she is one of the most senior agents around. Safety and professionalism are the themes she stresses upon. Everyone here looks up to her.” Morales was admitted into the hospital and discharged. She gave a short statement through the public affairs office of ICE and said, I am glad I am alive, and I am proud of the way our team reacted. I am thinking of all those people who experienced this today.
Jordan Ng: A Rising Star
In 2022, after Jordan Ng was hired by ICE as an administrative support specialist, he was shot in the leg when helping a fellow officer outside the entrance gate. Friends said Ng was quiet but incredibly committed, volunteering at local events of the resources of the refugees. According to a colleague, he is the kind of individual who assists everybody. It is heartbreaking that he was injured only going about his work. Both Morales and Ng should recover completely.
The Suspect: A Problematic Ex-Contractor
The police revealed that the alleged shooter, Evan Porter, was a former private security contractor who temporarily employed a federal subcontractor in 2021. According to the public records, Porter had no criminal history but in recent months had demonstrated increasing aggression towards federal agencies in his social media posts. Anti-government rhetoric and anger over federal immigration policies were some of the posts on Porters account, and were released in a series of online posts. Although the investigators did not verify the legitimacy of those narratives, one of the posts dated September 10 seemed to mention a reckoning coming to Dallas. The FBI Special Agent in Charge, Lydia Thornton declared that the investigation was still going on, but that preliminary evidence seemed to indicate the actions of one individual with ideological grievances and not any connection to an organized group.
Federal and Local Cooperation
By mid-afternoon, the evidence response team at the FBI established command tents outside the ICE building, and scanned the area of the building collecting ballistic fragments and surveillance footage. Dallas Police Chief Garcia affirmed that in the car that was driven by Porter, investigators found a powerful high-powered .308 rifle, a pair of field glasses and a detailed map of the plant. This, Garcia, was a planned act, he said. He went loaded with design and purpose. The fast reaction of the agencies also was hailed by federal officials. A combined tactical class task force had been mobilized within 10 minutes of the specific initial report with include of homeland security investigations, ATF, and local SWAT teams.
Panic and Fear in the Employees
Thousands of ICE workers were marched out the rear doors on armed escort. Others explained the frightening experiences within the building. Elena Ruiz, an immigration officer, said that they had no idea where the shots were coming. Everybody was on the ground, sending text messengers to their families, trying to keep it down. And it seemed like endlessness when they said they were safe. Triage of the victims was done in a parking lot adjacent to the complex as the tactical teams cleared the building floor by floor. By 1.30 p.m. the facility was sealed and traffic on the Mockingbird Lane gradually resumed with heavy police cover.
Community and Political Response
The press conference conducted by Dallas Mayor Tonya Wells criticized the attack and complimented first responders. Wells said, there is no place of violence against federal workers in our city. We thank the courage of the people that ran their own risk to save others. Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement where he provides the state resources and counseling services to the victims. Texas does not condone attacks on public servants. His office announced that the entire brunt of the law will be applied on the perpetrator. Dallas community organizations were united, and they held a candlelight vigil on Wednesday night around Klyde Warren Park to pay tribute to the victims.
Security Dilemmas and Implications at Wider Implications
The shooting has brought up security debates of the safety of federal buildings and the increasing trend in targeted violence of government employees. Over the past few years, ICE facilities throughout the U.S. have been exposed to increased security risks as discussions about the immigration policy have been highly controversial. The experts indicate that this is an indication of insufficient security infrastructure and worker training. Dr. Helena Brooks, a security analyst at the University of Texas stated, the tactical accuracy of this attack is what makes it terrifying. The fact that there was a sniper on the roof implies that there was surveillance, planning, and the military-grade equipments. Federal agencies are currently examining procedures of all regional facilities including increased screening and surveillance procedures.
A City Reflects and Recovers
Towards evening, the sun went down over a Dallas skyline still flashing with media vans. Investigators kept searching, and employees came back to the scene a few minutes later to retrieve personal items to get abandoned during the turmoil. To most, the shock will still be felt even after the barricades are removed. Here we are a family, said one of the ICE workers to himself. We debate on the policies just like anybody but nobody has the right to be shot just because he/she is doing his duty. The police anticipate that formal charges will be pressed on Evan Porter as soon as he is cleared medically to be questioned. Federal prosecutors affirmed that they are weighing an attempted murder, assaulting a federal officer and use of a firearm during a violent offense.
Looking Ahead
Since Dallas has just started to come to terms with the attack, law enforcement officers have vowed to be transparent and provide justice quickly. The ICE plant should resume its operation next Monday with more positions of security check and counseling services provided to employees. FBI agent Thornton said that this was not merely an assault on a building. It is an assault on those who are serving their country in day to day lives. And we shall not rest till all questions concerning this case are answered.
