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

The incident could also be related to shootings at Asian-run businesses, police stated.

17 May 2022, 21:08

• 7 min read

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Might 11 shooting of three girls in a hair salon in the city's Koreatown. The incident is being investigated as a hate crime and could be linked to a collection of latest shootings at Asian-run companies in the metropolis, police mentioned.

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

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

"During our investigation, detectives realized that two years ago Smith had a motor vehicle crash with an Asian male," Garcia stated. "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. Lawyer’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 area office in Dallas instructed ABC Information on Monday. "We're in close communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to completely investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we are not in a position to comment additional at this time."

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

Two of the shooting victims – the owner and an worker – have been current on the assembly, in accordance with WFAA. The worker spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face covered. The women didn't reveal their names.

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

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

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced throughout a Friday press convention that law enforcement “concluded three current shootings of Asian run businesses may be linked.” The suspect in every incident was driving the same vehicle.

This photo exhibits the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police are looking for a person who opened fireplace contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three folks.

Police stated they discovered from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what gave the impression to be "a darkish shade minivan-type automobile" on Royal Lane and then walked across the parking lot and into the institution, allegedly opening fireplace as quickly as he entered the salon.

Police also released a safety image of a maroon minivan they mentioned the shooter fled the scene in.

Garcia mentioned the taking pictures on the salon is likely to be linked to 1 that occurred a day before and one which came about last month.

Police realized from witness reviews that on April 2, a driver in a red minivan drove past a strip mall of Asian-run companies and fired photographs at three businesses. Nobody was injured.

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

“Out of an abundance of warning, now we have reached out to our partners to make them conscious of the possible connection and ask for their help,” Garcia stated. “This contains the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Job Drive. We're also working with North Texas police companions to find out if this criminal action has or is happening of their jurisdictions.”

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

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

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

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

ABC's Jim Ryan experiences:

ABC Information' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.