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

The incident may be related to shootings at Asian-run companies, police said.

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Could 11 capturing of three women in a hair salon in the metropolis's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and could possibly be linked to a series of latest shootings at Asian-run companies within the metropolis, police said.

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

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

"During our investigation, detectives discovered that two years in the past Smith had a motorcar crash with an Asian male," Garcia mentioned. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic assaults and delusions when he is around anyone of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Field Office, the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace 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 area office in Dallas advised ABC Information on Monday. "We're in shut communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to completely examine this incident. As that is an ongoing investigation, we aren't able to comment further at this time."

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

Two of the taking pictures victims – the owner and an employee – were current on the assembly, in accordance with WFAA. The employee spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face coated. The women didn't reveal their names.

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

"Presently, there have been no arrests on these circumstances," Garcia said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced throughout a Friday press convention that legislation enforcement “concluded three latest shootings of Asian run businesses may be related.” The suspect in every incident was driving an identical vehicle.

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

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

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

Garcia said the shooting at the salon is perhaps linked to 1 that happened a day before and one that happened last month.

Police realized from witness reviews that on April 2, a driver in a crimson minivan drove past 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 automobile drove by and shot into Asian-run companies near 4849 Sunnyvale Street, police said.

“Out of an abundance of caution, we've reached out to our partners to make them aware of the doable connection and ask for his or her assistance,” Garcia mentioned. “This contains the FBI and member agencies of the Joint Terrorism Activity Drive. We are additionally working with North Texas police partners to determine if this criminal motion has or is going down in their jurisdictions.”

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

Garcia said police will be rising the presence of high visibility patrol officers in areas within the metropolis the place there are large Asian American populations.

“We're turning to each resident of town of Dallas to maintain an eye fixed out and safeguard our metropolis,” Garcia mentioned. “Hate has no place right here.”

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

ABC's Jim Ryan reports:

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.