Dallas police arrest suspected Hair World Salon shooter
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) - A suspect has been arrested in connection with a shooting that wounded three women at a hair salon in the Koreatown area of Dallas.
Tuesday morning police confirmed that Jeremy Theron Smith was being 'interviewed and processed'. Later the 37-year-old was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Investigators did not initially believe that the shooting at Hair World Salon, in the 2200 block of Royal Lane, was a hate crime. But after conducting what they called a 'consistent review of offense reports' detectives came to the conclusion that three recent shootings at Asian run businesses may be connected, with the driver in each driving a similar vehicle.
Police say the incident at Hair World happened when a man dressed all in black opened fire at the salon, then drove off in a maroon minivan. Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said investigators found that a similar vehicle was reported to be involved in two other shootings, including an April 2 drive-by in the area where the salon is located. No one was injured in either of those shootings.
Garcia said the vehicle was also linked to a drive-by shooting on May 10 about 25 miles southeast of the shopping center where Hair World is located.
The three women who were shot at the salon were taken to a hospital with injuries that weren't life-threatening.
On Monday night community members had their first public meeting with Dallas police since the salon attack. Two of the three shooting victims from May 11 were there, as well as more than 100 Korean business owners.
The group expressed their frustration, while calling for more action and surveillance in their neighborhood, saying they often feel a disconnect between their community and the department.
"The rise in Asian hate has been growing for the past two years and it's something, that since the pandemic, we have all felt," said business owner Caroline Kim. "Anti-Asian hate crimes are typically under reported, so we know it's happening in our communities but we need to be a little bit louder about it make sure we are all protecting each other and ourselves."
During the meeting Chief Garcia said more officers will be surveying the area.
Hair World is in the heart of Koreatown, which is in a part of the city that was transformed in the 1980s from an industrial area to a thriving district with shopping, dining, markets, medical offices and salons.