Suspect recognized in Dallas salon shooting as FBI opens hate crime investigation

The incident may be related to shootings at Asian-run businesses, police mentioned.

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

Dallas police arrested a suspect in connection with the May 11 capturing of three women in a hair salon in the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and could possibly be linked to a collection of latest shootings at Asian-run businesses within the metropolis, police stated.

The victims, the salon owner, an worker and a customer, are all Korean, in line with ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The women suffered nonfatal injuries and had been transported to a neighborhood hospital, in keeping with police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia recognized the suspect as 36-year-old Jeremy Smith throughout a press convention on Tuesday. Garcia mentioned that Smith was charged with three counts of aggravated assault.

"During our investigation, detectives realized that two years ago Smith had a motorcar crash with an Asian male," Garcia said. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic attacks and delusions when he's around anybody of Asian descent."

The Dallas Police Department and the FBI are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

"The Dallas FBI Subject Office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District in Texas and the Civil Rights Division of the Division of Justice have opened a federal hate crime investigation into the incident at Hair World Salon in Dallas,” a spokesperson for the FBI subject office in Dallas told ABC Information on Monday. "We are in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to thoroughly investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we're not able to remark further presently."

Police met with community members at a town hall in Koreatown on Monday amid issues for the public's security.

Two of the capturing victims – the proprietor and an employee – have been current on the assembly, according to WFAA. The employee spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face coated. The ladies did not reveal their names.

Garcia mentioned that police continue to investigate two different shootings that could be linked to the salon taking pictures.

"Right now, there have been no arrests on those cases," Garcia stated, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia announced during a Friday press conference that regulation enforcement “concluded three latest shootings of Asian run businesses could also be linked.” The suspect in each incident was driving a similar car.

This photo exhibits the interior of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Could 12, 2022. Police are searching for a man who opened hearth inside the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three folks.

Police said they discovered from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what appeared to be "a darkish coloration minivan-type automobile" on Royal Lane after which walked across the parking lot and into the institution, allegedly opening fireplace as soon as he entered the salon.

Police additionally launched a security picture of a maroon minivan they said the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia mentioned the shooting at the salon is likely to be linked to at least one that happened a day earlier than and one which occurred last month.

Police realized from witness studies that on April 2, a driver in a pink minivan drove previous a strip mall of Asian-run businesses and fired pictures at three businesses. Nobody was injured.

And on Could 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or automotive drove by and shot into Asian-run businesses close to 4849 Sunnyvale Avenue, police mentioned.

“Out of an abundance of warning, we've got reached out to our companions to make them conscious of the doable connection and ask for their help,” Garcia stated. “This consists of the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Task Power. We are also working with North Texas police partners to find out if this felony motion has or is happening of their jurisdictions.”

Hair World Salon in Dallas, May 12, 2022. A person opened hearth inside the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three people.

Garcia said police will be growing the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas in the city where there are massive Asian American populations.

“We are turning to every resident of the city of Dallas to keep an eye fixed out and safeguard our city,” Garcia mentioned. “Hate has no place here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of attacks focusing on Asian Americans across the nation, which spiked in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan reviews:

ABC Information' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.