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

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

17 Might 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Could 11 shooting of three girls 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 current shootings at Asian-run companies in the city, police stated.

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

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

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

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

"The Dallas FBI Area Workplace, the U.S. Lawyer’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 subject office in Dallas told ABC Information on Monday. "We are in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to thoroughly examine this incident. As that is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to comment further presently."

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

Two of the taking pictures victims – the proprietor and an employee – were current at the assembly, in keeping with WFAA. The employee 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 research two other shootings that could be linked to the salon shooting.

"At this time, there have been no arrests on these instances," Garcia mentioned, including 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 companies may be linked.” The suspect in each incident was driving the same automobile.

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

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

Police also released a security image of a maroon minivan they stated the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia said the capturing at the salon is likely to be linked to one that occurred a day before and one that happened final month.

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

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

“Out of an abundance of caution, we now have reached out to our partners to make them aware of the doable connection and ask for their help,” Garcia mentioned. “This includes the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Process Drive. We are additionally working with North Texas police partners to determine if this felony motion has or is going down of their jurisdictions.”

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

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

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

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

ABC's Jim Ryan studies:

ABC News' Bill Hutchinson and contributed to this report.