DALLAS — The man accused of shooting three women of Korean descent at a hair salon last week often yelled obscenities and screamed when nobody was around, according to a homeowner who employed the suspect.
Charles Allen, who paid Jeremy Theron Smith, 36, to complete yard work and manual labor at his Dallas-area home, believes Smith has mental health issues and said he often blurted out obscenities when there wasn’t anyone talking to him.
“My impression was that he had a mental problem. Definitely,” Allen, 83, said Wednesday.
Smith, 36, was arrested this week and has been charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Dallas police have said that the salon shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, and officials are investigating if it could be part of a string of similar incidents in Dallas.
Asian businesses have been targeted in three shootings since April 2, and police have said a similar vehicle was used in all of them.
In announcing the arrest Tuesday, Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said that Smith has suffered “panic attacks and delusions when he is around anyone of Asian descent” for several years, pointing back to a car crash Smith had several years ago. Smith had also been fired from a job after he verbally attacked a boss of Asian descent, according to police documents that also indicated he had been admitted to several mental health facilities.
The homeowner who hired Smith for manual labor jobs said that in recent weeks, he had seen Smith screaming and hollering on several occasions.
Allen said he heard Smith shouting “I don’t have to listen to you,” and “get away from me.”
“There was nobody there for him to talk to. That happened several times,” Allen said.
Smith worked at Allen’s DeSoto home at least twice a week for the last three weeks, cleaning out the garage, landscaping and running errands.
Allen said he hired Smith through a staffing agency.
“That’s his work,” said Allen, pointing to a pile of leaves and dirt on his front lawn. “I had him cleaning out the leaves and trash.”
Smith never appeared to be a threat, said Allen, who was home when police arrived to his address to arrest Smith.
“All of a sudden these two black vans came up in the fire lane, fast,” Allen said. Then the officers just hopped out of their vehicles.
“It looked like a SWAT team,” Allen said.
He said he believed officers were addressing him as they yelled, “Get on the ground, get on the ground now.”
Police officers blocked the street, and a helicopter swirled above his home.
“This has to be a mistake,” Allen said he thought as the arrests was happening. “I know they’re not after Jeremy. They must think he’s a terrorist or drug dealer.”
Police later told Allen police what Smith was accused of.
Smith remained at the Dallas County jail on Wednesday, jail records show. His bond has been set at $300,000.
It’s not clear whether he has a lawyer.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
