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

The incident may be connected to shootings at Asian-run businesses, police stated.

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in connection with the Could 11 shooting of three ladies in a hair salon within the metropolis's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and might be linked to a series of recent shootings at Asian-run companies within the metropolis, police said.

The victims, the salon owner, an worker and a buyer, are all Korean, in accordance with ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The women suffered nonfatal accidents and were transported to a local hospital, in accordance with police.

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

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

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

"The Dallas FBI Field Office, the U.S. Legal professional’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 field office in Dallas told ABC News on Monday. "We are in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to thoroughly examine this incident. As that is an ongoing investigation, we are not in a position to remark additional presently."

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

Two of the taking pictures victims – the owner and an worker – had been present at the meeting, in accordance with WFAA. The worker spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face covered. The ladies didn't reveal their names.

Garcia stated that police proceed to analyze two other shootings that may be linked to the salon taking pictures.

"At this time, there have been no arrests on these instances," Garcia mentioned, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia announced during a Friday press conference that law enforcement “concluded three latest shootings of Asian run businesses could also be related.” The suspect in every incident was driving an analogous vehicle.

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

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

Police additionally released a safety picture of a maroon minivan they stated the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia mentioned the shooting on the salon might be linked to at least one that occurred a day earlier than and one which took place final month.

Police discovered from witness stories that on April 2, a driver in a red minivan drove previous a strip mall of Asian-run businesses and fired photographs at three companies. No one was injured.

And on Might 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or automobile drove by and shot into Asian-run companies near 4849 Sunnyvale Avenue, police mentioned.

“Out of an abundance of warning, we now have reached out to our partners to make them conscious of the possible connection and ask for his or her assistance,” Garcia said. “This includes the FBI and member businesses of the Joint Terrorism Job Power. We're additionally working with North Texas police companions to determine if this felony motion has or is going down in their jurisdictions.”

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

Garcia said police shall be rising the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas in the metropolis the place there are massive Asian American populations.

“We are turning to each resident of town of Dallas to keep an eye out and safeguard our metropolis,” Garcia said. “Hate has no place right here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of assaults concentrating on Asian Individuals across the nation, which spiked in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan reviews:

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.