A Dallas man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to a hate crime for shooting three women inside a Korean-owned hair salon in Dallas\u2019 Koreatown in 2022.<\/p>\n
Jeremy Theron Smith, 41, pleaded guilty<\/a> to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the May 11, 2022, attack at Hair World Salon on Royal Lane. Court records show Smith admitted the shooting was motivated by \u201cbias or prejudice against a group, namely Asian Americans,\u201d WFAA reported.<\/p>\n Under the plea agreement accepted June 30, Smith received a 15-year prison sentence. Because the offense was designated a hate crime, he had faced a possible life sentence.<\/p>\n Shooting Targeted Dallas Koreatown Salon<\/p>\n The shooting occurred at Hair World Salon, located in Dallas\u2019 historic Koreatown district. Responding officers found three women suffering from gunshot wounds. All three survived after being transported to area hospitals with injuries that authorities described at the time as non-life-threatening.<\/p>\n According to investigators, Smith fired more than a dozen rounds inside the salon before fleeing the scene. Surveillance video captured him running back to his vehicle carrying what police described as an assault-style rifle.<\/p>\n Smith was arrested five days later, on May 16, 2022.<\/p>\n Investigation Revealed Anti-Asian Bias<\/p>\n Investigators said Smith\u2019s girlfriend told police he developed delusions involving Asian people after being involved in a traffic crash with an Asian man about two years before the shooting. She said he began experiencing panic attacks around people of Asian descent and believed Asian Americans were trying to harm him.<\/p>\n According to the investigation, Smith had also previously been fired from a job after verbally attacking his Asian supervisor.<\/p>\n Court records also link<\/a> Smith to two other 2022 shootings targeting Asian-owned businesses in Dallas. No one was injured in those incidents.<\/p>\n Competency Restored Before Guilty Plea<\/p>\n The criminal case was delayed after Smith was found incompetent to stand trial. Records show his competency was restored in January 2025, allowing the prosecution to proceed.<\/p>\n The attack occurred<\/a> during a period of heightened concern over anti-Asian violence across the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n Victims Continue Recovering<\/p>\n In the weeks after the shooting, John Park, whose mother was among those wounded, said she underwent<\/a> emergency surgery after a bullet pierced an artery and caused her to lose about half of her blood.<\/p>\n Park also said the salon closed indefinitely following the shooting and expressed concern about the emotional toll on the victims.<\/p>\n \u201cShe hasn\u2019t stepped a single foot outside home,\u201d he said of his mother, per WFAA.<\/p>\n Community Leaders Respond<\/p>\n