Sense of fear still looms over Dallas Korean community
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas police made an arrest in last week's Hair World Salon shooting, but members of Dallas' Korean American community say that they also want to see long-term solutions.
Jeremy Smith, 36, is facing several counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Smith allegedly fired several rounds into the Korean hair salon and injured three women.
But even after his arrest, a sense of fear still looms over the area known as Korea Town.
The Korean Society of Dallas held a press conference following the arrest.
"Rather than feeling safer just because the suspect has been captured, I feel what is safer is having a watch tower and [police] cars patrolling," Korean Society of Dallas Board Member, Jonas Park said.
After nearly a week on the run, police arrested Smith. Authorities believe hate was a factor.
"Right now, it's an issue of hate, a hate crime. I know our community sees it as a hate crime," Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said.
Police said he fired 13 shots into the salon. Seven people were inside at the time, and three were hit. The three woman who were shot are still recovering.
"Also, today I spoke to one of the victims [and their] family members and they were very happy about the arrest of the suspect," Park said.
Park was translating the president's message as they talked about moving forward. Members said they don't want to look at this incident as a racial problem.
"Rather than calling it a racial issue, we like to see it as a community issue," Park said. "And to improve that, we've been working with other communities. For example, we had a meeting with Black Chamber of Commerce."
Some businesses, including the salon, are still closed. Other nearby businesses chose instead to close early.
There's been an increase in police patrols and a new security tower, but community leaders want long term solutions.
"Although we don't have a concrete solution right now... we are looking at longtime safety solutions, whether they're inside or outside," Park said.
Moving forward, the Korean Society of Dallas hopes to build bridges with other communities. They said they also hope to start a fundraiser to help the victims.