Jeremy Smith, 36, is the suspect apprehended for shooting three women at a Dallas Koreatown hair shop. He may be connected to other hate crime shootings and has a false sense of fear of Asians, authorities say.
On Tuesday, Smith was placed in the Dallas County Jail. He has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Because the case involves a hate crime, those charges will probably be upgraded.
After combing through Smith’s maroon minivan, officers located a gun, a magazine with four live rounds, and a box of ammunition.
After the incident was caught on camera footage and witnesses accounts, authorities were able to locate the van, given that they had some characters on the license plate. It also led to Smith, who authorities had been watching for three days.
“..the suspect shot approximately 13 times and wounded three people. He then sped off westbound on Royal Lane,” stated Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
One worker was shot in the back. Another was hit by a bullet in the foot. The other person was shot and injured in the arm.
On Monday, Smith was apprehended on unrelated charges. When questioned, he confessed to being in the vicinity of the salon at the time of shooting. He claimed that he was searching for a business that could fix a broken glass on his garage door.
Smith’s girlfriend told police that Smith has panic attacks when he is near people of Asian descent. This comes after being involved in a traffic accident with an Asian male two years ago. The girlfriend added that when around Asian people, Smith experiences delusions that the Asian mob is going to attack him. As a result, he has spent time in numerous mental health facilities.
Additionally, Smith had been terminated from a previous job after attacking his Asian supervisor at Ulta Beauty.
Chief Garcia thinks that the shootings were racially provoked. Authorities also believe that Smith may be the same suspect in two prior shootings at Asian-owned businesses.
When Smith was arrested Monday evening, he was working at a Desoto residence doing landscaping.
“I didn’t know what was going on…is this really the same person? And turns out this is the same person…I was extremely surprised that he would have done something like that,” stated Charles Allen, the homeowner.
Smith is being held at the Dallas County Jail on a $300,000 bond.
