Man Indicted On Hate Crime Charges After Attack At Korean Hair Salon

Jeremy Smith, 37, accused of shooting three women in Dallas, also has been charged with aggravated assault.
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A man accused of firing more than a dozen gunshots into a Korean hair salon in Dallas, injuring three Asian women, was indicted Tuesday for alleged hate crimes, the district attorney announced this week.

Dallas County District Attorney John Cruezot said a grand jury indicted Jeremy Smith, 37, on seven counts of aggravated assault, each of which carries a hate crime enhancement. Each count carries a sentence of five to 99 years in prison, The Associated Press reported.

Prosecutors allege Smith was motivated by bias or prejudice against Asian Americans and “intentionally selected” the hair salon because it served the Korean community.

Smith was arrested in May. Prosecutors alleged he stopped his vehicle near Hair World Salon in Dallas earlier that month, entered the building shouting and fired 13 shots from a .22-caliber rifle. Three women were injured.

A Korean American woman shot during the incident said the community was “very tired” after the attack, saying the shooting “happened for no reason.”

Smith’s girlfriend told police in May he had delusions about Asian Americans and worried they were trying to harm him after being involved in a car crash with a man of Asian descent.

“He begins having delusions that the Asian mob is after him or attempting to harm him,” the woman told authorities, according to the AP.

He remains in custody with bond set at $700,000.

Violent attacks against Asian Americans surged in 2021, with some reports saying that violence toward the community rose by more than 300% last year.

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