‘Hey fascist! Catch!’. ‘If you read this, you are gay lmao’. ‘Delay’. ‘Depose’.
At the scenes of some of the most notorious shootings in the US, police are finding spent bullets with words carved into them – message from the gunmen themselves.
This has been the case in the assassination of Charlie Kirk, and the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year.
The same trend is now seen in the wake of Wednesday’s attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office in Dallas, Texas.
Joshua Jahn has been identified as the sniper who killed one person and injured two others.
The 29-year-old was later found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Officials reported that he left behind ammunition marked with the phrase ‘ANTI-ICE’ written in blue.
FBI director Kash Patel shared a picture of five cartridges recovered at the scene, writing on X that the attack was ‘politically motivated’.
He said: ‘While the investigation is ongoing, an initial review of the evidence shows an idealogical motive behind this attack (see photo below).
‘One of the unspent shell casings recovered was engraved with the phrase “ANTI ICE.” More updates will be forthcoming.
‘These despicable, politically motivated attacks against law enforcement are not a one-off.
We are only miles from Prarieland, Texas where just two months ago an individual ambushed a separate ICE facility targeting their officers.
It has to end and the FBI and our partners will lead these investigative efforts to see to it that those who target our law enforcement are pursued and brought to the fullest extent of justice.’
Patel confirmed that no law enforcement personnel were injured in the shooting.
Engraving messages into munitions is not entirely without precedent – but it has not been documented in the past with the same frequency.
In the last almost two years of Israel’s war on Gaza, soldiers have often signed artillery shells before bombing sites.
Nikki Haley, the failed Republican presidential nominee, even inscribed missiles with ‘Finish Them!’ on a Memorial Day visit to Israel.
Why is ICE so controversial?
This anti-ICE messaging comes as Donald Trump made immigration enforcement a centrepiece of his presidency.
Mass-scale deportations and high-profile crackdowns have taken place since the start of his second term, leading to calls for the rogue agency to be abolished and protests.
Critics point to the aggressive enforcement and deportation policies, inhumane conditions in facilities, and alleged discriminatory practices, particularly following stricter policies under the Trump administration.
Cases of separating toddlers from their parents, holding them in cages, and forcing them to defend themselves in complex legal proceedings against trained government lawyers have been well documented.
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