Arrest made in shooting at Korean hair salon, Dallas police say

Dallas police made an arrest in connection with the shooting of three women of Korean descent at a hair salon that authorities described as a possible hate crime.

Police announced the arrest early Tuesday but did not provide further information, including the suspect’s name and a potential motive for the shooting. A police spokesperson said the suspect was being processed and interviewed, and Chief Eddie García would release further information later Tuesday.

News of an arrest came less than a day after members of the Korean American community, including a victim of last Wednesday’s shooting, met with García and other DPD brass.

While García initially ruled out the possibility that the shooting was a hate crime, he said last week investigators believe it could be connected to two other incidents that might have targeted people of Asian descent.

The first incident, on April 2, was at the same retail center as the hair salon involved in the shooting on Wednesday. The second occurred at a retail center in east Oak Cliff on Tuesday, one before the shooting at the hair salon.

Police described a similar colored minivan in all three incidents.

One of the women shot at the hair salon spoke a town hall Monday with the police.

The woman, who did not reveal her name and covered her face with a mask and sunglasses, said she hopes the Korean community can become safer. The woman, who wore a cast and a sling, said she was shot three times. She said she worries about her future and her ability to make a living, given the injuries to her hand.

“We’re very nervous. We’re very tired,” she said in Korean.

She described the Korean American community as a family, and thanked those who came to the town hall.

“This happened to us for no reason,” she added.

The FBI is also investigating the shooting as a potential hate crime, according to WFAA-TV (Channel 8).

“Out of an abundance of caution,” García said he has reached out to agencies including the FBI, the North Texas Joint Terrorism Taskforce and other local departments to determine whether any additional crimes in their jurisdictions might be related.

‘We need to do more’

Caroline Kim, whose mother operates Korea House, a restaurant near Royal Lane and Interstate 35E, asked at the town hall what measures Dallas police and city leaders are taking to prevent attacks against the Asian Americans, pointing to a rise of hate incidents the community has reported during the coronavirus pandemic.

“When we talk about outreach to the community, I know my community affairs division does an absolute remarkable job trying to conduct as much outreach as we can into our community,” García responded. “And yes, we need to do more, there’s no question about it.”

Moving forward, García said the department will be using surveillance camera trailers and increasing patrols in certain areas that have been or could be targeted.

Choi Tok-Sun, 76, who attended the meeting, said she drove from Fort Worth. She said she was less than satisfied by the answers the community got at the event.

Choi said she hopes to see Dallas police do more to explain the law enforcement resources that are available to the Korean American community. She said that law enforcement can do a better job to explain the importance of reporting crimes.

“Sometimes, people in the Korean community don’t report things that happen to them because of a culture difference,” she said in Korean, adding that she hopes that the shooting can be a wake up call for the community.

A hate crime finding in Texas enhances the possible punishment for a crime. For example, a second-degree felony is typically punishable by two to 20 years in prison. But if a jury believes the act was a hate crime, the punishment increases to the range for a first-degree felony: five to 99 years or life.

But it can be hard to prove an incident was a hate crime, and such cases generally take more investigative work than non-hate crimes.