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

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

17 Could 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

Dallas police arrested a suspect in reference to the Could 11 shooting of three ladies 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 recent shootings at Asian-run businesses within the metropolis, police stated.

The victims, the salon proprietor, an worker and a buyer, are all Korean, in response to ABC affiliate station WFAA in Dallas. The women suffered nonfatal injuries and have been transported to an area hospital, in response to 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 motor vehicle crash with an Asian male," Garcia mentioned. "Since this crash, Smith has had panic assaults and delusions when he's round anybody of Asian descent."

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

"The Dallas FBI Discipline Workplace, the U.S. Legal professional’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 office in Dallas told ABC Information on Monday. "We are in shut communication with Dallas Police and are partnering collectively to thoroughly investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we aren't in a position to comment additional at the moment."

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

Two of the taking pictures victims – the owner and an employee – were present at the assembly, according to WFAA. The employee spoke with the assistance of an interpreter and her was face lined. The ladies did not reveal their names.

Garcia mentioned that police continue to investigate two different shootings that may be linked to the salon shooting.

"Presently, there have been no arrests on these instances," Garcia mentioned, including that the investigation is ongoing.

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

This picture shows the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, Might 12, 2022. Police are searching for a person who opened hearth contained in the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three people.

Police mentioned they learned from a witness report that an unknown Black male parked in what gave the impression to be "a darkish color minivan-type car" on Royal Lane and then walked throughout the parking zone and into the institution, allegedly opening fireplace as quickly as he entered the salon.

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

Garcia said the shooting at the salon could be linked to one that occurred a day before and one which happened final month.

Police learned from witness stories that on April 2, a driver in a pink minivan drove past a strip mall of Asian-run businesses and fired pictures at three companies. Nobody was injured.

And on May 10, a suspect in a burgundy van or automobile drove by and shot into Asian-run businesses close to 4849 Sunnyvale Avenue, police mentioned.

“Out of an abundance of warning, we have reached out to our companions to make them conscious of the attainable connection and ask for his or her help,” Garcia stated. “This consists of the FBI and member companies of the Joint Terrorism Process Force. We are also working with North Texas police partners to determine if this legal action has or is going down of their jurisdictions.”

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

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

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

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

ABC's Jim Ryan experiences:

ABC Information' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.