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

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

17 Might 2022, 21:08

• 7 min learn

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

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 have been transported to an area hospital, in response to police.

Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia identified 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.

"Throughout 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 anybody 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 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 field office in Dallas instructed ABC Information on Monday. "We're in shut communication with Dallas Police and are partnering together to completely investigate this incident. As this is an ongoing investigation, we aren't in a position to comment further presently."

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

Two of the taking pictures victims – the owner and an employee – had been present on the assembly, in keeping with WFAA. The employee spoke with the help of an interpreter and her was face coated. The women did not reveal their names.

Garcia stated that police proceed to investigate two other shootings that may be linked to the salon capturing.

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

The arrest comes days after Garcia introduced during a Friday press convention that regulation enforcement “concluded three latest shootings of Asian run businesses could also be connected.” The suspect in every incident was driving the same automobile.

This photograph reveals the inside of Hair World Salon in Dallas on Thursday, May 12, 2022. Police are looking for a person who opened fire inside the salon in Dallas' Koreatown space, wounding three individuals.

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

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

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

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

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

“Out of an abundance of caution, now we have reached out to our companions to make them aware of the doable connection and ask for his or her assistance,” Garcia mentioned. “This includes the FBI and member agencies of the Joint Terrorism Activity Force. We're also working with North Texas police companions to determine if this felony action has or is going down of their jurisdictions.”

Hair World Salon in Dallas, May 12, 2022. A person opened fire inside the hair salon in Dallas' Koreatown area, wounding three folks.

Garcia stated police might be rising the presence of high visibility patrol officers in areas in the city where there are large Asian American populations.

“We are turning to every resident of the town of Dallas to keep a watch out and safeguard our city,” Garcia mentioned. “Hate has no place here.”

These incidents in Dallas come amid a spate of assaults focusing on Asian Individuals across the nation, which spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC's Jim Ryan stories:

ABC News' Invoice Hutchinson and contributed to this report.