Suspect identified in Dallas salon taking pictures as FBI opens hate crime investigation

The incident could also be related to shootings at Asian-run companies, police mentioned.

17 May 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Could 11 shooting of three women in a hair salon within the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and may very well be linked to a sequence of recent shootings at Asian-run companies in the metropolis, police mentioned.

The victims, the salon proprietor, an worker and a customer, are all Korean, in keeping with ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The ladies suffered nonfatal injuries and were transported to an area hospital, according to police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia identified 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.

"Throughout our investigation, detectives learned that two years ago Smith had a motorized vehicle crash with an Asian male," Garcia said. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic assaults and delusions when he is round anyone of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Area Workplace, the U.S. Attorney’s Workplace for the Northern District in Texas and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice have opened a federal hate crime investigation into the incident at Hair World Salon in Dallas,” a spokesperson for the FBI area workplace in Dallas told ABC Information on Monday. "We are in shut communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to completely examine this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we're not capable of comment further right now."

Police met with neighborhood members at a city hall in Koreatown on Monday amid concerns for the public's security.

Two of the shooting victims – the owner and an worker – had been current at the meeting, based on WFAA. The worker spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face covered. The women did not reveal their names.

Garcia stated that police proceed to investigate two different shootings that could be linked to the salon shooting.

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

The arrest comes days after Garcia announced during a Friday press conference that legislation enforcement “concluded three recent shootings of Asian run companies may be linked.” The suspect in every incident was driving the same car.

This picture shows the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Could 12, 2022. Police are looking for a man who opened fire contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three individuals.

Police mentioned they discovered from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what appeared to be "a darkish coloration minivan-type vehicle" on Royal Lane and then walked across the parking zone and into the institution, allegedly opening fire as soon as he entered the salon.

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

Garcia stated the taking pictures at the salon might be linked to 1 that occurred a day earlier than and one which befell final month.

Police learned from witness reviews that on April 2, a driver in a pink minivan drove previous a strip mall of Asian-run companies and fired shots at three businesses. No one was injured.

And on May 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or automotive drove by and shot into Asian-run companies close to 4849 Sunnyvale Street, police said.

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

Hair World Salon in Dallas, Might 12, 2022. A man opened hearth contained in the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three folks.

Garcia mentioned police might be rising the presence of excessive visibility patrol officers in areas in the city the place there are massive Asian American populations.

“We're turning to each resident of town of Dallas to keep a watch out and safeguard our city,” Garcia said. “Hate has no place here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of attacks targeting Asian Individuals throughout the nation, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan studies:

ABC Information' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.