A 69-year-old man opened fire on a group of people who had gathered for a business meeting at a Korean shopping center in Carrollton Tuesday morning, killing two and wounding three others before fleeing to a nearby grocery store where he was arrested following a short foot chase, police said. The FBI and multiple federal agencies responded to the scene.
Officers from the Carrollton Police Department were called at approximately 9:57 a.m. to the K Towne Plaza, a shopping center in the 4000 block of State Highway 121 at the intersection with West Hebron Parkway, in an area of Carrollton widely known as Koreatown. When officers arrived, they found five adults with gunshot wounds. Two were pronounced dead at the scene. Three others were transported to the hospital and are in stable condition. Their identities have not been released.
While officers were still processing the scene at K Towne Plaza, a second shooting was reported approximately four miles away at an apartment complex. Responding officers found a man dead inside one of the apartments. Investigators determined the same suspect carried out both attacks.
Carrollton Police Chief Roberto Arredondo identified the suspect as Seung Ho Han, 69 years old. Using police technology, undercover officers located Han’s vehicle in a nearby parking lot, identified him and attempted to make contact. A short foot chase ensued. Han was taken into custody without further incident near the H Mart grocery store at 2625 Old Denton Road, also in Carrollton.
At a press conference Tuesday afternoon, Chief Arredondo said the attack was not a random act and was not a hate crime. The victims had gathered with Han for a business purpose. “Victims were meeting with the suspect for a business purpose. This is not a random act of gunfire,” Arredondo said. “It was a known business relationship. We are still working through trying to identify his causes.” Police said all victims were adults but have not yet disclosed the nature of the business dispute that led to the shooting.
Video posted online showed officers with guns drawn walking past storefronts at K Towne Plaza during the initial response. Witnesses at the nearby H Mart told NBC DFW they watched officers handcuff a man in a blue shirt and take him into custody in front of the store. Police used a bomb squad robot to investigate a white van in the parking lot before towing it away. The ATF and additional law enforcement agencies beyond the FBI were also seen at the scene. The H Mart reopened around 2 p.m.
Arredondo confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Carrollton is home to more than 4,000 residents of Korean descent and has developed into the primary Koreatown for the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex over the past two decades, anchored by large businesses including H Mart and dozens of Korean restaurants and shops clustered around the K Towne Plaza area. The shooting sent shockwaves through the community.
“We’re shocked,” said John Jun, an active member of the Korean American Coalition DFW Chapter. “We’re not immune to something like this happening, but we are very generally a peaceful community that works hard. Conflicts happen no matter what community you live in. It’s unfortunate when it does happen. We’re mourning that this happened.”
No charges against Han have been publicly filed as of Tuesday afternoon. The investigation is ongoing.