A gunman shot three Korean women at a hair salon in Dallas, Texas, reported NBC on Thursday. (local time). There were four Korean women at the Korean-owned hair salon including three staff and one customer.
In a press conference, Dallas police said a Black male dressed in all black walked into the hair salon at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday and started shooting, injuring three women, adding they do not have any indication that the shooting was a hate crime, but are not ruling it out. The victims were immediately taken to hospital and reportedly are not in life-threatening condition. Dallas police shared video surveillance images of the suspect and his car, and search is underway for the suspect.
The FBI field office in Dallas said they are supporting Dallas police and will begin an investigation immediately if the suspect is found to have committed any federal crime. Under Texas laws, shooting is a second-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in prison, but if it is classified as a hate crime, the punishment increases to the range for a first-degree felony, punishable between five and 99 years.
The Korean American Coalition of Dallas-Fort Worth issued a statement on Thursday, saying that they are “saddened to see Dallas make local and national headlines with this repulsive incident,” urging Asian-Americans to speak out.
Hate crimes against Asians in the U.S. have been on the rise in recent one to two years. Last year, a white male in his 20s opened fire at three Asian-owned spas, killing six Asian women, including four Koreans. According to a recent Pew Research poll, 63 percent of Asian-Americans said they feel that crimes against them are increasing.
Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com
