Texas law enforcement officials, mental health professionals, and federal agencies gathered in Fort Worth earlier this month to discuss identifying warning signs of targeted violence before attacks occur.<\/p>\n
The Texas Department of Public Safety hosted<\/a> the 2026 Texas Preventing Targeted Violence Conference. <\/strong>The four-day event\u00a0brought together more than 380 participants from across the United States and Canada to focus on early intervention, behavioral threat assessment, and interagency collaboration.<\/p>\n \u201cPreventing targeted violence requires awareness, preparation, and a commitment to proactive action,\u201d said Chief Gerald Brown of the DPS Homeland Security Division.<\/p>\n \u201cThis conference brings together experts and community members from across the country to share knowledge, strengthen prevention strategies, and keep our communities safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The conference comes as Texas authorities continue responding to several high-profile attacks and plots in recent years.<\/p>\n As previously reported by The Dallas Express<\/a>, a gunman opened fire on a Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in 2025, killing one detainee and critically injuring others. Earlier that year, suspects allegedly ambushed<\/a> the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, leaving a local police officer seriously wounded.<\/p>\n Authorities have also disrupted planned attacks. In December 2025, investigators arrested an 18-year-old Pasadena high school student accused of plotting a campus mass shooting<\/a>.<\/p>\n Investigators are also examining the recent Sixth Street mass shooting<\/a> in Austin that left three people dead and wounded more than a dozen others.<\/p>\n Nationally, investigators have studied several major incidents to identify warning signs before attacks occur. The 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville<\/a> has drawn extensive analysis after journals written by the attacker revealed psychological struggles and grievances. In another case, the FBI classified a deadly 2025 church attack<\/a> in Michigan as an act of targeted violence.<\/p>\n\n