Texas man stabs Asian family over coronavirus could face hate crime charge in new trend

Jose L. Gomez Texas man who stabbed Asian family who he blamed for spreading coronavirus could face hate crime charge as uptick in attacks against Asians in US takes hold.

A man accused of trying to kill an Asian family inside a Texas supermarket last month — who he blamed for spreading the coronavirus — could be charged by the FBI for a hate crime, according to an FBI report. 

Jose L. Gomez, 19, is alleged to have stabbed three people inside a Sam’s Club in Midland on March 14. He allegedly approached an Asian family of four, stabbing three of them, including a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old child, according to an arrest report obtained by Midland Reporter-Telegram.

‘The suspect indicated that he stabbed the family because he thought the family was Chinese, and infecting people with coronavirus,’ a new FBI analysis report obtained by ABC News said. The case is now being investigated by the federal law enforcement agency as a hate crime.

‘If Zach had not been there, things could’ve gone really badly.’

At the time, store employee, Zack Owen, intervened, tackling Gomez to the ground. Owen was stabbed in the leg and cut on the hand while the two struggled for the knife. An off-duty Border Patrol Agent, Bernie Ramirez, who came to shop for groceries, detained Gomez before Midland police arrived.

Gomez was initially charged with three counts of attempted capital murder, and one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Reporter-Telegram. He was held on four separate bail bonds, totaling $1 million.

‘My initial thought was it was just the shortage of items that they were fighting over,’ Ramirez told KOSA last month. ‘So I just started making my way over there to break it up.’

‘Zach stepped in. He went into a knife fight bare-handed. He took control of the individual and he disarmed him,’ he continued. ‘If Zach had not been there, things could’ve gone really badly.’

The incident is one of several that has resulted in an uptick in hate crimes around the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic persists, ‘endangering Asian American communities,’ according to a recent Houston FBI report obtained by ABC News. The filing could now see Gomez cited with hate crime on top of the present charges he faces. 

‘The FBI assesses hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States, due to the spread of coronavirus disease,’ the report said. ‘The FBI makes this assessment based on the assumption that a portion of the US public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations.’

 

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On March 14, 2020, at 7:28 in Midland, Texas. Bawi Cung Nung and his son Robert were attacked with knife by Jose Gomez. Both the father and son were stabbed in the face. Robert was stabbed severely. The Hispanic attacker, Jose Gomez is only 19 years old. He has been taken into custody. During this encounter, an employee of Sam’s Club was also injured while trying to take down the attacker. Why did he stab them? Although we cannot get an answer right now due to the condition of the victims. Since the COVID-19 originated from China, many believe this is an act of racism. However, some believe that this was an act of fighting for product they need. If there’s any updates on the case, we’ll keep you guys posted. (Update: it was confirm that the attack was racially motivated) Admins Note: This is really getting out of hands now. I’m not even worry about the virus itself anymore, I’m more scared and concerned for the hate and racism toward Asians. I can’t stop thinking about our parents who have to go to work or go grocery shopping, and how they could potentially get verbally or physically attack. The fact that other minorities are the one doing is mind-boggling. I don’t feel safe anymore, and I’m sure many of you feel the same way. The ignorance and stupidity is just mind blowing. Time to start carrying weapons now for self-defense. If you see micro-aggression or any blatant racism toward chin people or Asians in general, you better intervene. Call them out of their racism, hatred, stupidity, and ignorance.

A post shared by Chin Insider (@chininsider) on Mar 15, 2020 at 11:18am PDT

Uptick in hate crimes against Asian Americans amidst coronavirus fears:

Crimes against Asian Americans have made headlines in recent weeks as the number of coronavirus cases continues to spike. The United States is the most infected country in the world, recording at least 240,064 confirmed cases by Thursday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University. It ranks third in the global tally of fatalities, reporting at least 5,800 deaths.

On March 11, a 23-year-old woman walking in New York City was approached by another woman, who yelled anti-Asian slurs, demanded she wear a mask and punched her before fleeing on foot, according to an NYPD spokesperson who said the incident was being investigated as a hate crime.

In February, a 16-year-old high school student in California’s San Fernando Valley was brought to the hospital after he was attacked by other teens who allegedly accused him of having the coronavirus because he was an Asian American, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis told KCBS-TV.

A Minneapolis couple also made headlines earlier this week when they shared a profanity-laced note stuck to their front door warning them to ‘take the Chinese virus back to China,’ WCCO reported.

New York Attorney General Leticia James launched a hotline for those who believe they might have been victimized in a bias crime tied to the coronavirus.

‘No one should live in fear for their life because of who they are, what they look like, or where they come from,’ James said in a statement, according to the New York Daily News.

Adding to the fissure, President Trump has faced condemned for repeatedly using the term ‘Chinese virus’ at press conferences when discussing the outbreak of the novel COVID-19, something critics claim have fueled racism and discrimination against Asians in the U.S. and elsewhere.

‘It’s not racist at all, no. Not at all,’ Trump insisted. ‘It comes from China.’

An investigation conducted by the World Health Organization concluded the novel illness originated in the city of Wuhan in the Chinese Hubei province in late November before breaking out across the globe.

Meanwhile, not to be outdone, one Chinese diplomat, Lijian Zhao, has taken to social media claiming that the novel illness could have originated in Italy or been brought to China by the U.S. Army.