A 22-year-old man is dead, presumably killed in an exchange of gunfire with federal officers outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building Monday morning in downtown Dallas.
What to Know
- Just before 8:40 a.m., man exchanges gunfire with federal officers outside U.S. courthouse in downtown Dallas.
- Suspected shooter, identified as 22-year-old Brian Isaack Clyde, has died. No other injuries reported.
- Investigators have not revealed a motive for Monday's attack.
A man wearing tactical gear, carrying a large rifle and several magazines is dead after an exchange of gunfire with federal officers outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building Monday morning in downtown Dallas.
According to U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox, 300 federal employees were inside the building when the suspect opened fire. One of them suffered minor injuries while she was taking cover from the shooting.
The suspected gunman was identified by the FBI as 22-year-old Brian Isaack Clyde.
The incident began at about 8:40 a.m. on the south side of the federal building, along Jackson Street where the suspected shooter fired an unknown number of shots at the lobby before exchanging gunfire with Federal Protective Service officers guarding the building.
In a video obtained by NBC 5, the gunman can be seen firing shots at the south side of the courthouse before running into a nearby parking lot where he collapsed.
During a news conference Monday afternoon, SAC Matt Desarno, with the Dallas FBI, said there's no evidence Clyde ever made it into the building during the attack.
"If not for the actions of the FPS officers, it would have been a very deadly incident," said Desarno.
Desarno said the investigation is active and ongoing and he is not yet sure how many times Clyde was shot, just that Federal Protective Officers fired at him. He said FBI agents across the state are interviewing his family members, trying to identify a motive in the attack.
"If there's one thing that this incident has taught us it's that security system at the federal courthouse has worked to our benefit today and we are significantly grateful for that," Cox said.
Employees leaving fed building. Say the building is being shutdown for the day. If you had appointment for passport < safe bet is not today.
— Maria Guerrero (@Maria_NBC5) June 17, 2019
Active Shooter Killed in Dallas in Exchange of Gunfire With Federal Officers https://t.co/5QUELedV9X pic.twitter.com/neW7wQRHs0
Earlier in the day, Dallas police conducted a controlled detonation of Clyde's vehicle using a device attached to the trunk. Desarno was unable to elaborate on what led police to take that action, but said the vehicle had been "rendered safe" and moved to a facility for further examination. Desarno could not confirm whether anything dangerous was inside the vehicle.
Earlier in the morning, Desarno said they had no other information that Clyde was working with anyone in planning the attack, but that investigators are actively interviewing relatives, known associates and others to try to determine a motive.
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Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. Attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, credited law enforcement for a swift response and said downtown Dallas is safe.
"Law enforcement responded immediately and I want to assure the community, especially our downtown community, that the community is safe," Cox said.
Police continue to ask people to avoid the downtown area as the investigation continues. Desarno said Monday afternoon that part of downtown may be closed at various times as the investigation continues.
Monday's shooting took place just blocks from where four Dallas police officers and a Dallas transit officer were gunned down in an ambush during a peaceful protest on July 7, 2016.
The federal building will be closed to the public on Tuesday, according to the Department of Justice.
Only federal employees will be allowed back in.
In fact, there was a federal trial set to begin and has now been postponed until further notice.
It is unclear if the building will be open to the public on Wednesday.
It is also still unclear what those with appointments, like passports, are to do other than wait.
The FBI said it would continue to investigate the scene for two to three days.
Brian Clyde, NBC 5 has learned, previously lived in Dallas and attended Woodrow Wilson High School for a short time in 2012 before moving to Austin. He also lived in Corpus Christi and served in the U.S. Army from 2015 to 2017.
On his Facebook page, Clyde shared images of ammunition magazines and a sword or dagger. He also posted several videos, one of which, on June 9, warned of an upcoming storm. It's unclear if he was speaking of a metaphorical storm or a literal one -- June 9 was the day a thunderstorm toppled a crane in downtown Dallas, killing one.
From 2015 to 2017, Clyde apparently served in the U.S. Army. In a video he posted on his Facebook page, he mentioned his service in the Army and said he'd been stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The FBI confirmed Monday that Clyde was discharged in 2017 and that they were working with the Department of Defense to examine his military record and learn more about his friends and associates.
NBC 5 did not uncover any criminal history and the FBI confirmed Monday afternoon that Clyde was not part of any prior FBI investigation.
Desarno said Monday that investigators have recovered the rifle used in the attack and are working with the ATF to learn how and when it was purchased.
Dallas Morning News photographer Tom Fox was at the courthouse to cover a trial when he said he saw a man come up to the door of the federal building and shoot at it. He saw the man carrying what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle and that he was wearing body armor.
"It was pretty close range, I was crouched behind a wall next to the back door on Jackson Street and shots were fired down at Jackson and the gunman came up the street alongside the federal building," Fox told NBC 5. "He stopped to pick something up and I shot a few frames of him and then crouched back behind the wall. Then he came up to the door and shot out the door on Jackson Street and he never passed me, fortunately."
Fox said the gunman headed to the parking lot across the street where officers found him lying on the ground between two cars. Fox said he used his iPhone to grab a quick shot of the man on the ground, surrounded by officers and medics.
"I'm just thankful to be alive. Literally I was just around the marble podium, or marble wall, from where he shot out the windows and I was just praying that he wasn't going to pass me, pass that wall because if he saw me crouch there he probably would have shot me."
Cellphone video shows a man wearing what appears to be body armor firing a gun in front of the Jackson Street entrance of the Earle Cabell Federal Building in downtown Dallas. Video courtesy: Tim Brown. WARNING: The video above is graphic; viewer discretion is advised.
Multiple witnesses told NBC 5 they heard between 15 to 20 shots fired and described the man as wearing tactical gear or some kind of body armor.
"I just started hearing rapid shooting. I was right at the door getting ready to walk in when everybody started running out," Don Miles said. "When I heard those shots, 10-15 shots going off, I just ran across the street."
Kelly Carter lives at the SoCo Lofts, a residential building facing the federal building. He said he heard the gunfire and saw part of the chase from his apartment.
"I saw the guards return fire and chase somebody into the parking lot in front of our building," Carter said. "I knew it was gunfire immediately. So, I just figured it was an active shooter or something like that."
Carter said he was evacuated from his building out of an abundance of caution.
"I knew immediately that this was right outside of my window. I could smell the gunpowder at my place, yeah it was that close," Carter said. "I could hear ricochets going down Jackson Street."
Wendy Harmon said she was outside the courthouse when she heard the gunshots.
"We all just started scattering, running, people were running ... we're confused and running up the sidewalk to get away from everything," Harmon said.
"It was really kind of surreal to actually witness that and you couldn’t really believe it was happening," said an eyewitness who only wants to be identified as Michael.
He had an appointment at the federal building and was paying for parking when he says he saw the gunman several yards away.
"He was wearing olive clothes, body armor. He had what looked like a semi-automatic rifle maybe an AR-15 or something like that,” he said. “We heard about five rapid-fired shots going off and we looked up and we didn’t see anything. Then about five seconds later we saw a man come running down Griffin Street and he stopped and he turned to his right and crouched down and started firing again."
Kenneth Baxter was going through the security checkpoint when shots rang out.
In the confusion he didn’t know if they were coming from inside.
"I heard someone say: lock it down! And I saw someone jump on the ground and then people started running and I started running and I heard about three shots,” said Baxter. "I had put my cell phone, my work cell phone, in the bucket and what I was thinking was I need to let my wife know and I didn’t have any way to do so."
Wendy Harmon, like many others, was arriving for a passport.
"Coming to the federal building you think: OK, there’s going to be heightened security, which I did see security,” she said. “It’s unnerving: schools aren’t safe, the federal buildings aren’t safe and so it’s like: This is the home of the brave but it’s getting to be very scary."
Desarno federal agents said they do not believe Clyde was working with anyone and asked that if anyone has information about Clyde or the incident, please call 1-800-CALLFBI and you can submit video and photographs to tips.fbi.gov.
The incident is being investigated by the FBI, ATF, FPS, U.S. Marshals and the Dallas Police Department.
NBC 5's Frank Heinz, Vanessa Brown, Scott Gordon, Maria Guerrero, Brian Roth, Eline deBruijn, Jack Highberger, Mike Richard and Noelle Walker contributed to this report.
