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(DALLAS) — A man accused of shooting three Asian American women at a Dallas hair salon in May was indicted Tuesday on multiple counts, including committing a hate crime and aggravated assault, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Jeremy Smith, 37, is charged with seven counts of aggravated assault, each with a hate-crime enhancement and punishable by five years to life in prison. He was arrested by Dallas police on May 16 and remains in the county jail with bail set at $700,000.

After Smith entered the Koreatown establishment on May 11, he allegedly fired 13 shots from a .22-caliber rifle, injuring three women — the salon owner, an employee and a customer — and endangering four others. The three women, who are all Korean, suffered nonfatal injuries and were transported to a local hospital after the shooting, police said.

Smith allegedly targeted the victims because of “his bias or prejudice against Asian Americans,” according to the announcement.

Smith’s girlfriend told police detectives he had been paranoid about Asian Americans since being involved in a car crash two years ago with an Asian man, according to a police affidavit.

Whenever Smith is around an Asian American person, he begins having delusions that “the Asian mob is after him or attempting to harm him” and was fired for “verbally attacking” his Asian boss, his girlfriend said, according to the police affidavit.

According to the affidavit, she told police Smith experienced panic attacks because of his delusions and was even admitted to several mental health facilities.

Texas federal prosecutors, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice’s civil rights division partnered for a federal hate crime investigation into Smith.

Over recent years, the country has seen a sharp increase in anti-Asian violence. Many attacks have been captured in viral videos, intensifying fear and anger among Asian Americans.

Last year, a gunman killed six women of Asian descent at a shooting at massage businesses in and near Atlanta. Earlier this month, a West Texas man was sentenced to 25 years in prison for attacking an Asian family outside a Midland, Texas, department store in 2020. The man assumed they were Chinese and therefore responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an FBI analysis on increasing hate crimes.

Last May, President Joe Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act into law, which designates a Justice Department official to focus on reviewing incidents and provides grants to police departments so they can establish hotlines for hate crime reporting.

However, the law has also drawn rebuke for increasing policing and bolstering a carceral system some say is demonstrably ineffective at preventing crime and discriminatory, particularly toward Black Americans.

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(WASHINGTON) — A year ago, America ended its longest war and withdrew troops from Afghanistan. After occupying the country for two decades, the withdrawal immediately led to a dangerous situation for any U.S. allies still left in the country, who risked retribution from the Taliban.

During the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, the bond between two men from opposite worlds proved to be unshakeable and led to the rescue of a desperate family. They are now sharing their experiences in a dual memoir, “Always Faithful.”

After several failed attempts to leave, interpreter Zainullah Zaki, known as Zak, who had worked for the U.S. military for several years in Afghanistan, his wife and their four small children were able to leave Afghanistan safely – with the aid of Marine Corps Maj. Thomas Schueman, who helped from the other side of the world.

Schueman left Afghanistan in 2013, Zak remained in Afghanistan. As the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s capital, Schueman said he immediately thought of his friend and began to make calls, texts and social media posts to try to find someone who could help.

Meanwhile, Zak spent days in Kabul working to get the proper documents he needed for himself and his family to come to the United States, as Schueman worked from the United States to devise a strategy to get Zak out of the country, ABC News reported in August 2021.

Finally, Schueman said he found someone at the Kabul International Airport to look for Zak’s family and secure spots for them on a plane to Qatar.

Schueman and Zak first met in Helmand Province in 2010. Schueman said that Zak quickly became “family.”

“It quickly became apparent that Zak was there to do so much more than simply translate our words; that he was there to fight alongside us,” said Schueman. “He became one of the members of my platoon, and he was almost immediately family to us.”

Chaos ensued in August 2021, when the U.S. began withdrawing the troops left in Afghanistan after spending nearly two decades in the country.

Zak recalled the onset of the war in 2001 and the first time he saw American soldiers arrive in his country.

“When the Americans came, they were working [to build] Afghanistan. They work for our bright future,” said Zak. “I decided to go and join the U.S. Army and work together, side by side with them.”

Although he was able to help Zak, Schueman said his work is far from over. He is continuing to advocate and push lawmakers to help other U.S. allies safely evacuate.

“I do believe that many people have very good intentions to support our allies,” said Schueman. “It just seems that the red tape to honor some of these promises that we made to the allies sometimes seem nearly insurmountable.”

Schueman said that the two hope that their story can help draw attention to people like Zak and their experiences during the war.

“I think it’s important to have that dual narrative perspective where you don’t have an American telling what Afghanistan is like,” said Schueman. “You have someone who was born there and raised there. Telling us about their culture, about their religion, about their history. And so I think that’s imperative in this type of story.”

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(CINCINNATI) — An hourslong standoff between law enforcement and an armed man who allegedly tried to break into the FBI’s Cincinnati office has ended, officials said.

The status of the suspect was not immediately clear.

Ohio State Highway Patrol started pursuing the suspect shortly after 9:30 a.m. after he allegedly fled from the field office.

Troopers followed the suspect, who was driving a white Ford Crown Victoria, to Clinton County, where shots were fired, according to officials.

The suspect, who officials said was armed with a rifle and wearing body armor, had been contained in a cornfield off Interstate 71 near Wilmington, according to Clinton County Emergency Management. The suspect appeared to have a gunshot wound to his leg but was mobile, according to a law enforcement source.

The suspect was allegedly armed with an AR15-style rifle and also brandished a nail gun during the alleged break-in attempt at the FBI field office in Cincinnati, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Clinton County Emergency Management alerted around 4:30 p.m. that the law enforcement response “has ended.”

A lockdown was in effect within a 1-mile radius of the standoff scene. People were instructed to lock doors and stay inside.

The man led police on a chase along Interstate 71 before exiting near Wilmington. Ohio State Highway Patrol said shots were fired from the suspect’s vehicle before it exited and, once it pulled off the interstate, gunshots were exchanged between the suspect and police.

No officers have been injured, police said.

It remains unclear why the man allegedly tried to break into the FBI office but it comes amid a series of threats following the FBI’s court-authorized search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida residence.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(PAULSBORO, N.J.) — Officials have cracked the code on what was stinking up southern New Jersey this week, after authorities removed a truck that was releasing chemical fumes on Thursday morning.

According to New Jersey officials, the foul smell has been reported across several counties before being identified on Wednesday.

A tanker truck at a truck stop was releasing a chemical that caused the stench around Paulsboro, Gloucester County, officials said.

Gloucester County Emergency Management issued a shelter-in-place around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday for East Greenwich, Paulsboro, Gibbstown and areas across the Delaware River after the fumes worsened. The issue was lifted approximately two hours later.

“It’s doing exactly what it should do. When the temperature rises to a certain level, the vessel itself will actually expel fumes. So it’s built to do that,” East Greenwich Township Police Chief Matthew Brenner said on Wednesday. “There’s no leak per se.”

The smell, which affected the noses of numerous South Jersey residents, led to several 911 calls to emergency crews around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. Soon after, authorities tracked down the reeking vehicle at the TA Truck Service Area on the 100 block of Berkley Road in Paulsboro off I-295 where it was releasing fumes from its rear tanker.

According to officials, complaints came from neighboring counties as far as Buena Vista Township, Atlantic County.

However, the truck wasn’t actually removed until Thursday morning.

The East Greenwich Township Police Department said the tanker is expelling fumes from a fuel additive chemical called Lubrizol 1395 (Zinc Alkyldithiophosphate).

The chemical can cause health hazards such as possible skin irritation and eye damage, according to its safety data sheet. However, its data doesn’t say the level of its toxicity if inhaled.

Hazmat crews monitored and tested the air quality around the scene and officials confirmed there is no risk to the public, despite the uncomfortable odor.

To remove the truck, officials evacuated the surrounding area within 200 feet of the tanker, as officials said the chemical is combustible under the right conditions. Officials said that there is little risk to the public, however, especially as the truck is now removed.

No injuries have been reported due to the chemicals released.

A representative from Lubrizol told ABC News Philadelphia station WPVI they are aware of the situation and investigating but have no further comment.

The Gloucester County Office of Emergency Management will be opening a call center for residents with questions or concerns. The call center phone number is 856-384-6800. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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(BRENTWOOD, Calif.) — One person was killed and three others were injured in a shooting that stemmed from an altercation at a Northern California gym, police said.

The three people hurt self-transported to hospitals and are expected to survive, Brentwood police told ABC News.

The gunshots rang out just before 2 a.m. outside a 24 Hour Fitness in Brentwood, which is about 55 miles east of San Francisco.

The “altercation” began inside the gym, on or near basketball courts, and carried out into the gym’s front parking lot where it “escalated,” police said.

At least two people pulled out guns and fired multiple shots, police said, citing surveillance video.

One of the four people shot, a man in his 20s, died at the scene, police said.

No motive is known, according to police, who called it an isolated incident.

One suspect has been detained but no arrests have been made, police said.

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(ST. PAUL, Minn.) — Eight corrections officers of color were barred from guarding Derek Chauvin in May 2020 – now, they’re receiving almost $1.5 million as a settlement for racial discrimination.

Chauvin is a former Minneapolis Police officer who has since been convicted in the death of George Floyd. The murder prompted nationwide protests, calling for racial justice and police reform.

According to court documents, Steve Lydon, then-Superintendent of the Ramsey County Adult Detention Center, issued an order on May 29, 2020, that banned corrections officers of color from entering the fifth floor where Chauvin was being held.

The order was rescinded about one hour later.

Several officers filed charges of discrimination with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights the following month. Those files were later closed, as officers prepared for a separate lawsuit.

In a February 2021 complaint that followed, eight officers alleged multiple violations of the Minnesota Human Rights Act, including race and color discrimination and a hostile work environment.

Three plaintiffs — Devin Sullivan, Stanley Hafoka and Nathaniel Gomez-Haustein — also asserted claims of retaliation. They alleged emotional distress, as well as loss of income.

According to the Star Tribune, Lydon made the decision “to protect and support” employees of color, hoping to quell any pain that the presence of Chauvin might cause them.

Ramsey County Board Chairwoman Trista MatasCastillo apologized Tuesday to the officers affected.

“The actions taken by Sheriff’s Office leadership that day were more than just wrong — they were racist, heinous, highly disrespectful and completely out of line with Ramsey County’s vision and values,” MatasCastillo said in a statement. “No one ever should have questioned your ability to perform your job based on the color of your skin.”

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(CINCINNATI) — Ohio state troopers and the FBI are pursuing a man who allegedly tried to break into the FBI’s Cincinnati office on Thursday.

Ohio State Highway Patrol followed the suspect, who was driving a white Ford Crown Victoria, to Clinton County, where shots have been fired, according to officials.

The suspect, who officials said is armed with a rifle and wearing body armor, has been contained in a corn field off Interstate 71 near Wilmington, according to Clinton County Emergency Management. The suspect appears to have a gunshot wound to his leg but remains mobile, according to a law enforcement source.

The suspect is allegedly armed with an AR15-style rifle and also brandished a nail gun during the alleged break-in attempt at the FBI field office in Cincinnati, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

There’s a lockdown in effect within a one-mile radius of the standoff scene. People have been instructed to lock doors and stay inside.

The man led police on a chase along Interstate 71 before exiting near Wilmington. Ohio State Highway Patrol said shots were fired from the suspect’s vehicle before it exited and, once it pulled off the interstate, gunshots were exchanged between the suspect and police.

No officers have been injured, police said.

It remains unclear why the man allegedly tried to break into the FBI office but it comes amid a series of threats following the FBI’s court-authorized search of former President Trump’s Florida residence.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(WASHINGTON) — A 3-month-old boy has died after being left in a hot car in Washington, D.C., authorities said.

Officers responded to a home shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday and found the baby, Aaron Boyd Jr., unconscious and not breathing, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department said. Aaron was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The heat index — what temperature it feels like — soared to 106 degrees in D.C. on Tuesday.

It was not clear how long Aaron had been left in the black Honda Accord, police said.

The investigation is ongoing, police said Thursday. An autopsy will determine Aaron’s cause and manner of death.

Aaron is the 15th child to die from a hot car in the U.S. so far this year, according to national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org.

Click here for tips to keep your kids safe in hot cars.

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(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) — Three people are dead after a house exploded Wednesday in southern Indiana, officials said.

Dozens of firefighters responded to the scene in Evansville, after the blast occurred Wednesday afternoon on the 1000 block of North Weinbach Avenue, officials said.

So far three deaths have been reported to the Vanderburgh County Coroner’s Office as a result of the explosion, chief deputy coroner David Anson said in a statement. The victims’ names will be released pending family notification, he said.

The home where the explosion occurred was destroyed and 39 other structures were “damaged severely or suffered minor damage,” Evansville Fire Chief Mike Connelly told reporters Wednesday evening. The Knight Township Trustee’s Office was among the buildings damaged and will be closed for the foreseeable future, officials said.

According to Evansville’s building department, 11 of the 39 homes damaged in the explosion are uninhabitable, Connelly said.

Some 60 firefighters were on the scene assisting, Connelly said.

A 100-foot radius around the blast is not searchable and some buildings are not safe to enter, Connelly said, noting that there could be other victims.

The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

CenterPoint Energy arrived following the blast and “made the scene safe,” Connelly said. “There was no detection of gas and they’re restoring service now.”

Evansville Mayor Lloyd Winnecke was on-site surveilling the damage.

“There’s a big investigation and cleanup effort underway,” Winnecke told ABC Evansville affiliate WEHT.

An off-duty Evansville police officer reported the explosion, the mayor said.

The block where the incident occurred “will be shut down for the foreseeable future,” the Evansville Police Department said.

“As more information becomes available, the respective agencies investigating will be able to provide more information,” the department said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Darren Reynolds contributed to this report.

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(NEW YORK) — Law enforcement agencies around the country are actively monitoring online threats and rhetoric that has emerged in the wake of the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate Monday, sources tell ABC News.

Agencies are also preparing for possible acts of violence they fear could occur at or near pro-Trump demonstrations that some supporters are calling for, law enforcement sources said.

Authorities on Monday morning searched Trump’s Florida estate in what sources told ABC News was part of a probe into documents that Trump improperly took to Mar-a-Lago when he departed the White House, some of which the National Archives has said were marked classified.

“Over the last several months, law enforcement officials across the nation have become increasingly concerned about calls for violence against law enforcement and other government officials by violent extremists,” said John Cohen, a former Department of Homeland Security official who is now an ABC News contributor. “The search warrant at Mar-a-Lago has only served to increase those calls, adding to law enforcement concerns.”

In the aftermath of the raid, Trump supporters called for protests at FBI offices in Riverside, California, and Washington, D.C., according to online messages collected by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think tank that monitors extremism and hate speech.

The ISD reported that one Trump supporter was “calling on fellow veterans and Americans of all walks to join him” in Washington “to protest the out-of-control FBI and its actions against President Trump,” while a post by another supporter implored followers to “Protest FBI tyranny.”

Cohen says authorities have grown even more concerned as public figures have echoed those kind of remarks.

“We now face a situation where public officials and members of the media are mimicking the language used by violent extremists, and this has served to add more volatility to the situation,” he said.

Evan worse, said Cohen, “there’s been talk about a range of conspiracy theories regarding what the FBI was doing at Mar-a-Lago. And when public figures — especially those who have previously served in law enforcement — spread wild conspiracy theories that they know are false, it’s not only irresponsible but dangerous.”

On the other hand, Cohen said, authorities have become better at monitoring threats and acting on them.

“Following the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, law enforcement has improved its ability to analyze online activities by violent extremists, taking threats made online more seriously and incorporating that understanding into their security planning,” he said.

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