Dallas police now investigating Asian salon shooting as a hate crime

A shooting that left three women wounded at a hair salon in Texas earlier this week may have been “hate-motivated,” according to local authorities.

Dallas Police Department chief Eddie Garcia said during a press briefing on Friday that the incident may be linked to two other recent shootings targeting Asian-run businesses.

“Hate has no place here, and so the minute we see that, we’re going to take this action,” he said.

The FBI, member agencies of the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and other local Texas authorities are working with the Dallas police on the hate crime investigation for all three shootings, Garcia added.

Based on witness accounts, a still unidentified man in all-black attire entered Hair World Salon at 2216 Royal Lane in northwest Dallas last Wednesday afternoon and started firing shots at people.

Three Korean women — salon owner Chang Hye Jin, 44; an employee and a customer — sustained non-life-threatening injuries from gunshot wounds.

The suspect then fled in a red “older-style” minivan, Garcia said.

While authorities initially believed that the shooting was not hate-motivated, Dallas police learned new details to conclude otherwise.

Witnesses to two drive-by shootings in Dallas on April 2 and May 10 told investigators of a suspect fleeing in a similar vehicle described as a red or burgundy van or car.

Asian-run businesses were apparently targeted in both shootings that had no reported injuries.

According to Garcia, the suspect is described as a 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-10 tall Black man with a thin build. He has curly, medium-length hair and a connecting beard.

Police are now on the lookout for the suspect, with local stations tasked to increase patrols in Asian communities in the Dallas area.

Investigators urge anyone with relevant information about the incident to contact the Dallas Police Department.

Featured Image via WFAA (left), Dallas Police (right)

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