2019 Dallas courthouse shooting

On June 17, 2019, a shooting occurred at the Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse in Dallas, Texas, United States. No law enforcement officers or civilians were injured in the shooting, though one person sustained a superficial injury when she was taking cover. The shooter, identified as Brian Isaack Clyde, was then shot and killed by one or more federal officers.

2019 Dallas courthouse shooting
Part of terrorism in the United States
Earl Cabell Federal Building, the location where the shooting took place.
Dallas is located in Texas
Dallas
Dallas
Dallas (Texas)
Dallas is located in the United States
Dallas
Dallas
Dallas (the United States)
LocationDallas, Texas, U.S.
Coordinates32°47′42″N 96°47′56″W / 32.794959°N 96.798860°W / 32.794959; -96.798860
DateJune 17, 2019
8:40 pm (MDT (UTC−5))
Attack type
Shooting
WeaponsAR-15 style rifle
Deaths1 (the perpetrator)
Injured1
PerpetratorBrian Isaack Clyde

Shooting

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A man, identified as Brian Isaack Clyde, opened fire near Earle Cabell Federal Building and Courthouse, before making his way to the glass door of the building and opening fire inside. Three officers from the Federal Protective Service returned fire.[1] Following an exchange of gunfire, in which Clyde was mortally wounded by one or more federal officers, he ran towards the parking lot and fired five more rounds before he collapsed. Federal officers performed CPR and took Clyde to the Baylor University Medical Center, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from the courthouse,[2] where he was pronounced deceased.[3] Authorities later detonated his vehicle.[1][4] At the time of the shooting, Clyde was carrying more than 150 rounds of ammunition.[5]

Photojournalist Tom Fox, who works for The Dallas Morning News, was at the courthouse on assignment to take pictures of a defendant in a charter school fraud case when the shooting started; he was able to capture two photos of the suspect through a telephoto zoom lens before taking cover behind a pillar adjacent to the entrance.[6] He took a video and additional photos of the scene after the suspect had been shot by law enforcement officers.[6]

Perpetrator

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Brian Isaack Clyde (September 30, 1996 – June 17, 2019), a 22-year-old male,[7] was a private first class in the U.S. Army, and was honorably discharged[5] after serving as an infantryman from August 2015 to February 2017.[8] According to The Dallas Morning News, he was stationed at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.[8] He was not deployed to a war zone during his time in the military.[5]

At the time of the shooting, Clyde had recently graduated from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, with an associate degree in applied science in nondestructive testing technology.[8][9]

Although Clyde had not been of "investigative interest" to the FBI, his half-brother had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) three years before the shooting, alleging that Clyde was suicidal and had a fascination with guns. The FBI did not follow up on the tip because there was no specific threat specified.[10] Investigations into his social media history took place.[8][11]

Motive

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Clyde appears to have self-radicalized online,[12] posting memes related to the incel subculture that appeals to men who feel lonely and alienated, and, ultimately, getting "sucked into a hateful vortex that tells them that their lives are only valuable if they go out bringing death" to others.[13][14][15][16]

Clyde had uploaded extremist far-right memes including ideas about the Confederate States and Nazism.[17][13][15] Some of his posts were transphobic and others were anti-feminist.[17] In April 2019 he posted a meme suggesting that combining eco-friendly and libertarian ideas with far-right authoritarianism, symbolized by what the Daily Beast describes as "a green flag with a Nazi swastika in the middle", could be the "solution to all of our nation’s political problems."[17]

Clyde's family believed that it was a case of suicide by cop.[18]

Aftermath

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A Maryland Air Force base was inspired by the Dallas shooting to initiate a program teaching personnel to recognize the warning signs that "introverted, sexless individuals" may be drawn to the "incel" online subculture.[14][10][16]

On March 18, 2020, a man pleaded guilty to threatening to assassinate the governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan Grisham. He cited Clyde as an inspiration for his desired attack.[19]

On May 4, 2020, Tom Fox was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography for his photographs of several people fleeing, Clyde himself, and Clyde being attended to, respectively.[20] However, the prize went to Reuters for their photography of the 2019 Hong Kong protests.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b Bleiberg, Jake; Stengle, Jamie (June 18, 2019). "Masked gunman killed in shootout at Dallas courthouse". AP News. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Earle Cabell Federal Building to Baylor University Medical Center". Earle Cabell Federal Building to Baylor University Medical Center. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  3. ^ Levenson, Eric; Vera, Amir (June 17, 2019). "FBI looking into suspected Dallas gunman's military and social media history". CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  4. ^ Weiss, Debra Cassens (June 17, 2019). "Officers kill gunman firing on Dallas federal courthouse; news photographer snaps photos". ABA Journal. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "The Latest: Family says Dallas court shooter wanted to die". AP News. June 19, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Chokshi, Niraj (June 18, 2019). "How a Dallas Photojournalist Captured an Image of a Gunman Mid-Attack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  7. ^ Burk, Jarred (June 17, 2019). "UPDATE: FBI identifies Dallas federal building shooter". KSWO. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d Branham, Dana; Jaramillo, Cassandra (June 17, 2019). "What we know about Brian Clyde, the gunman who opened fire at the federal courthouse in downtown Dallas". Dallas News. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  9. ^ "The Latest: Man who fired at Texas courthouse just graduated". AP News. June 17, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Bleiberg, Jake (June 20, 2019). "FBI got tip about Dallas courthouse shooter in 2016". AP News. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "SUSPECT WHO OPENED FIRE AT A COURTHOUSE IN DALLAS MONDAY MORNING KILLED BY POLICE". KOOC. June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  12. ^ Krause, Kevin (June 22, 2019). "Dallas' 'lone wolf' shooting shows how we're always in danger, even with improved security". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Solomon, Dan (June 20, 2019). "How Did the Dallas Courthouse Gunman Get Radicalized?". Texas Monthly. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Brumfeild, Loyd (June 22, 2019). "Inspired by Dallas courthouse shooter, Air Force base circulates 'incel' warning signs". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Martelle, Scott (June 18, 2009). "A Thwarted Dallas Shooting goes Viral". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Perez, Chris (June 21, 2019). "Air Force warns about nationwide threat of 'involuntary celibates'". New York Post. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c Weill, Kelly; Glawe, Justin (June 17, 2019). "Dallas Federal Building Shooter Posted Far-Right Memes About Nazis and Confederacy". Daily Beast. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  18. ^ Tarrant, Daniel; Emily, Jennifer (June 19, 2019). "Family of Dallas courthouse shooter Brian Clyde believes he wanted to be killed". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  19. ^ Gallagher, Mike (March 18, 2020). "Man charged with threatening to kill governor". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  20. ^ "Tom Fox of the Dallas Morning News". pulitzer.org. Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  21. ^ "Photography Staff of Reuters". The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved July 31, 2020.