Patterico's Pontifications

8/14/2019

San Antonio: Shots Fired At ICE Offices

Filed under: General — Dana @ 6:48 am



[guest post by Dana]

There were people in the office when the shots were fired:

Police in San Antonio arrested a man early Tuesday morning in connection with gunshots fired through the windows of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in the city, according to the agency.

Local law enforcement responded around 3 a.m. CT Tuesday to shots fired at the ICE field office located north of Interstate 410 near Brookhaven Drive, the FBI confirmed in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner.

“Shortly before or after, shots were also fired at a nearby building. Both buildings also house businesses completely unrelated to ICE operations. No injuries were reported. The FBI has opened an investigation into the shootings and is currently processing the crime scenes and reviewing surveillance footage,” the FBI continued.

[…]

Police told News 4 the man is believed to have fired the shots from across the highway into the windows of the building. The building does not have bulletproof windows, and at least one shot penetrated a window.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs told reporters that the federal offices were specifically targeted:

“All the shots that we have found are on the floors where ICE had offices,” said Combs, adding that there’s no question it was “a targeted attack.”

Combs said federal employees were there when shots shattered the windows, and “by the Grace of God, had the bullets gone two inches in another direction, we would be here today talking about the murder of a federal official.”

The FBI is handling cases involving threats against ICE facilities in other parts of the country. Combs said to fire at a federal building is not a protest, it’s an act of violence.

“In this case, it’s an act of violence against the federal government that could have resulted in the assassination of a federal employee,” said Combs.

Political rhetoric is being blamed for encouraging violent acts against ICE:

“This attack at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Field Office in San Antonio is completely without justification,” said Bible. “Political rhetoric and misinformation that various politicians, media outlets and activist groups recklessly disseminate to the American people regarding the ICE mission only serve to further encourage these violent acts. ICE officers put their lives on the line each and every day to keep our communities safe. This disturbing public discourse shrouds our critical law enforcement function and unnecessarily puts our officers’ safety at risk.”

Note: This is the fourth incident that has taken place at an ICE facility/office (Washington, DC-July 16, Tacoma, WA – July 14, and Aurora, CO -July 12).

I was unable to locate any condemnation of the incident from San Antonians Joaquin or Julian Castro, which is surprising given Joaquin adamantly claiming after outing Trump donors that he (nor his brother) want anyone on the left or the right to be a target of any crazy person or any person that means them harm at all. But perhaps they’ve been focused on, um, more pressing matters:

The ad will speak to Trump directly — linking his rhetoric toward immigrants and people of color to that of the shooter in El Paso who killed 22 and left more than two dozen wounded. A spokesman for Castro’s campaign told The Texas Tribune that the ad — a small buy of $2,775 — will air throughout the day on Fox News in Bedminster, N.J. That is where Trump is spending the week at his private golf club, according to The Washington Post.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana

27 Responses to “San Antonio: Shots Fired At ICE Offices”

  1. Good morning.

    Dana (fdf131) — 8/14/2019 @ 6:52 am

  2. Note: There were people in the offices when the shots were fired. How has this not been more widely condemned? The wrong kind of people??

    Dana (fdf131) — 8/14/2019 @ 7:03 am

  3. MSNBC CORRESPONDENT: One of the big chants we heard here throughout the day was ‘abolish ICE’ so that’s why you have so many people out here hanging out here still chanting, making their voices heard.

    And before we were talking about how is still out here. A lot of Latino families obviously still here in Los Angeles, but also ladies I want to introduce to you right here. I see (posted) ‘Don’t Have a Heart of ICE.’ There you go. Tell me why it was important for you girls to be out here and tell me why this anti-ICE chant has been so predominant throughout the rally today?

    PROTESTOR: Because ICE is basically a terrorist organization and we’re a peace organization. It’s beyond a terrorist organization.
    __

    MSNBC viewers must be confused about an attack against a “terrorist organization” being controversial.

    harkin (58d012) — 8/14/2019 @ 8:08 am

  4. I hope the guy is charged with attempted murder, but it seems to me the shooting was symbolic unless he was using a high-powered weapon and a victim would have his/her nose on the window. The news reports said he was across the street from the building, shooting at the 14th floor. The angle for hitting anyone that high up is damn nigh improbable.

    Paul Montagu (a2342d) — 8/14/2019 @ 8:28 am

  5. This is horrifying. Regardless of motivation I hope they throw the book at the would-be murderer. I also hope we get clarity on their motivations and everyone telling their supporters that ICE agents are monsters dial it back to a reasonable level.

    It’s possible to disagree with immigration policy and the way that the policy is enforced without portraying the men and women tasked to carry out that policy as ‘terrorists’.

    Time123 (235fc4) — 8/14/2019 @ 8:29 am

  6. A “symbolic shooting”? Like a redneck shooting at a STOP sign out in the boonies?

    Bullets often end up in the strangest places, a little unpredictable.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 8:36 am

  7. The Castro family is preparing the battle space to take over Texas for the Dems. I think they’re going to succeed. He is trying to incite Hispanics, legal or illegal, moving the Overton window, and to intimidate any opponents.

    The Houston Chronicle is asking Beto–swearing, sort-of Spanish speaking, angry millionaire Beto–to give up his current campaign and run for as senator. Texas!

    Patricia (3363ec) — 8/14/2019 @ 8:50 am

  8. Bullets often end up in the strangest places, a little unpredictable.

    I agree, which is why I said he should be charged with attempted murder, as improbable as the act would be. I’d call it negligent homicide for the redneck who missed putting a hole in a stop sign, killing a bystander.

    Paul Montagu (a2342d) — 8/14/2019 @ 9:05 am

  9. Paul

    here is a photo of the bullet hole in the tempered glass.

    Note the elevation of the hole in context to the indoor surroundings.

    There is something on the wall that appears to be at about the same height as a light switch.
    (To me it looks like one of those braille signs they put near elevators)
    If it is what I think, that would be an area where people might congregate.

    That shot could have killed someone like an inside window washer, maintenance person, plant waterer, or a blind person standing next to the window while waiting for the elevator.
    Depending on the construction of the building and the type of round used, the round might have been able to penetrate the ceiling/floor and hit someone in that elevator well above.

    I do agree that a flat shot would have traveled horizontally and had more chance to hit someone, but shooting into an office building is incredibly reckless, stupid and the shooter needs to be dealt with in a way that sends a clear message that regardless to politics, the shooter is a menacing idiot who should be locked up before his/her diseased mind spawns another similar idea. I don’t know if attempted murder would stick, because I don’t know the law, but proving intent might be difficult, but I’m with you on everything but “symbolic”.
    Maybe I’m responding because of the way I personally translate “symbolic” as an apologetic in this context and I know that was not your intended context so…

    Anyway, you wrote a three line post and I’m still rambling…

    Hope your day goes well and avoid the windows.

    steveg (354706) — 8/14/2019 @ 9:19 am

  10. My day is going fine, steve, but I don’t see any pictures or links to pictures.

    Paul Montagu (a2342d) — 8/14/2019 @ 9:25 am

  11. A lot of the excess lives in Texas.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 9:27 am

  12. Here is a photo, Paul.

    Dana (fdf131) — 8/14/2019 @ 9:34 am

  13. and what the ice protesters miss:

    https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2019-08-12/after-ice-raids-in-mississippi-hopefuls-flock-to-job-fair

    narciso (d1f714) — 8/14/2019 @ 9:35 am

  14. One grouch about this post — there is a conflating of the incidents, making it sound like shots have been fired at four ICE facilities since July. That’s not exactly the case. From the Examiner article:

    Last month, protesters with Never Again blocked the entrances to ICE’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C.

    In mid-July, police in Tacoma, Washington, fatally shot an armed man after they said he hurled Molotov cocktails at an ICE building.

    On July 12, a group of protesters in Aurora, Colorado, took down an American flag and two other flags from outside an ICE facility and raised a Mexican flag and a defaced “thin blue line” flag, which commemorates law enforcement.

    The Tacoma incident (reported in the New York Times, as well as other media) seems equally as serious as this incident. The others didn’t put lives at risk, and probably should not be compared to the San Antonio incident.

    Appalled (d07ae6) — 8/14/2019 @ 9:45 am

  15. If the Left keeps ratcheting up the hate and rhetoric, don’t be surprised when the random shots take a deadly turn. Examples need to be made to put a stop to the lunacy.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 9:57 am

  16. I dont know how ethnic you look, Narciso, we should take a trip to Jackson with Felipe and try to apply for one of those gigs – see how much doc they ask for etc.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 8/14/2019 @ 10:05 am

  17. Haiku:

    I think if the San Antonio gunman is looking at jail time. The guy who torched the Tacoma ice location is dead. So what do you have in mind as an example and who will be made examples of?

    Appalled (e15c47) — 8/14/2019 @ 10:53 am

  18. This guy should get serious jail time and anyone else who assaults or verbally threatens ICE employees OR their families should be dealt with in the harshest manner possible. Start giving these nitwits lessons in good manners and behavior.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 11:00 am

  19. Appalled,

    I specifically said:

    This is the fourth incident that has taken place at an ICE facility/office (Washington, DC-July 16, Tacoma, WA – July 14, and Aurora, CO -July 12)

    There was no intention of being misleading but rather I assumed readers are well informed about issues dealing with ICE and the dangers the agency faces. Also, I assumed readers already knew about these incidents as they have been covered here at the blog. I was actually to take the time to link each one but felt it was unnecessary.

    Dana (fdf131) — 8/14/2019 @ 11:01 am

  20. @ Col. Haiku,

    If the Left keeps ratcheting up the hate and rhetoric, don’t be surprised when the random shots take a deadly turn. Examples need to be made to put a stop to the lunacy.

    Before I react to this (because my mind is going to a not-good place), would you care to be specific with how you see this playing out?

    Dana (fdf131) — 8/14/2019 @ 11:03 am

  21. Whenever anyone says “an example needs to be made” with regard to things political, it’s an instant red flag to me.

    Dana (fdf131) — 8/14/2019 @ 11:08 am

  22. I thought I’d explained this in comment 18. The violence has and will continue to come from the Left.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 12:37 pm

  23. Perhaps “the harshest manner possible under the law” would clarify

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 12:40 pm

  24. I must’ve been typing when you published 18. I think there should be penalties, and certainly this guy should face charges. I’m not big on family members being held responsible for acrelative’s s rooms though.

    Dana (fdf131) — 8/14/2019 @ 1:03 pm

  25. 24… yeah, I hear ya. I got stuck with paying for the damage my cousin wreaked at the Holiday Inn in Tustin… his bachelor party back in ‘83.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 1:42 pm

  26. Here are the attacks on ICE offices so far this summer:

    July 12 – Aurora, CO
    July 14 – Tacoma, WA
    July 16 – Washington, DC
    Aug. 13 – San Antonio, TX

    This needs to be aggressively crushed!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 5:41 pm

  27. We’ve most of the Dem candidates, cable news, the Jihad Squad, and major metro area newsrag editorials repeatedly railing against ICE, demanding that it be done away with and blaming all sorts of inhuman conditions on enforcement officers who are doing their duty by upholding the law.

    This should NOT continue. Do you agree, Appalled?

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 8/14/2019 @ 6:26 pm


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