A Dallas man who admitted racial bias against Asian Americans motivated his 2022 shooting of three Korean American women inside a northwest Dallas hair salon has been sentenced to prison.
Jeremy Theron Smith pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon classified as a hate crime.
Smith admitted his bias against Asian Americans motivated the May 11, 2022 attack at Hair World Salon, where he fired more than a dozen rounds, injuring three women. All three survived.
The hate crime designation increased the maximum sentence Smith could have faced to life in prison.
Smith accepted the plea agreement after previously being found incompetent to stand trial.
Records show he was restored to competency in January 2025, allowing the case to move forward.
The shooting occurred amid a nationwide rise in anti-Asian hate incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to court documents, investigators learned Smith had experienced delusions involving Asian people and had previously expressed hostility toward Asians.
State District Judge Dominique Collins sentenced him to 15 years in prison per Smith's plea agreement.
Emmanuel Rivas Valenzuela is KERA's breaking news reporter. Got a tip? Email Emmanuel at erivas@kera.org. KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members.
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