Stabbing attack on Asian family deemed coronavirus hate crime, FBI says
- Meaghan Wray
- April 2, 2020 4:39 pm
Jose L. Gomez III was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted capital murder and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on March 14 in Midland, Texas.
Midland County Jail
An Asian-American family, including a two-year-old girl, was attacked at knifepoint in
Texas in what the FBI has allegedly called a
coronavirus-related
hate crime.
The incident occurred on the night of March 14 at a Sam’s Club grocery store, records show.
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An arrest affidavit
obtained by the Midland Reporter-Telegram (MRT) says a suspect entered the store and attempted to kill the family. Zack Owen, a store employee, intervened and was reportedly stabbed in the leg.
Owen apparently knocked the knife away from the suspect and maintained control of the suspect until help arrived, the affidavit continues, MRT says.
The report goes on to say that the suspect eventually admitted to attempting to murder the family while being questioned by a Midland police officer.
Per a previous MRT report, the incident happened at around 7:30 p.m. when off-duty Border Patrol Agent Bernie Ramirez detained the suspect.
The case was turned over to the FBI, Mayor Patrick Payton told the local publication.
An FBI document
obtained by ABC cites a March 14 incident in which “three Asian-American family members, including a 2-year-old and 6-year-old, were stabbed.”
It continues: “The suspect indicated that he stabbed the family because he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with the coronavirus.”
FBI spokesperson Lauren Hagee declined to provide ABC comment on the document.
Per
court documents, Jose L. Gomez III, 19, was charged with three counts of attempted capital murder that night. Each count came with a US$300,000 bond.
One count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, documents read, has a bond of $100,000.
