Jeremy Terence Smith
DALLAS (AP) — A man accused of shooting and killing three Asian-American women at a hair salon was charged on Aug. 9 with multiple counts, including a hate crime.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office announced the indictment of Jeremy Terrence Smith, 37, for the May 11 shooting at a salon in Dallas’ Koreatown. It claims Smith entered the salon and fired 13 shots with a .22 caliber rifle, wounding three women and endangering four others.
“Smith is accused of knowingly selecting the complainant because of his prejudice or prejudice against Asian Americans,” the statement said.
According to the police affidavit, Smith’s girlfriend told police that he had been delusional about Asian Americans since he was involved in a car accident with an Asian man two years ago. He was admitted to several mental health facilities due to delusions, she said.
Whenever Smith was around an Asian American, “he would start fantasizing about Asian thugs chasing him or trying to hurt him,” his girlfriend told police. She said he was fired for “verbally attacking” his Asian-American boss.
The indictment charges Smith with seven counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, each count adding a hate crime. Each charge is punishable by 5 to 99 years in prison.
Smith remains in the Dallas County Jail on bonds totaling $700,000. A message to his lawyer seeking comment was not immediately returned.
Anti-Asian violence has risen sharply in recent years. Last year, a shooting at a massage parlor in and around Atlanta that killed eight people, including six Asian women, fueled Asian-American anger and fear. Earlier this month, a West Texas man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attacking an Asian family outside a Midland, Texas, department store in 2020 because he believed they were Chinese. Responsibility for the COVID-19 Pandemic.
