Texas Woman Charged with Attempted Murder in Alleged Hate Crime
A Texas woman, Elizabeth Wolf, 42, has been charged with attempted capital murder and injury to a child after allegedly trying to drown a 3-year-old Palestinian Muslim girl at an apartment complex pool in Euless on May 19. According to police reports, Wolf, who was heavily intoxicated, questioned the child's mother about her country of origin before the incident. The mother, identified as 'Mrs. H.', was visibly Muslim, wearing a hijab and a modest swimsuit.
Witnesses reported that Wolf first tried to grab the woman's 6-year-old son, who managed to escape. When the mother was helping her son, Wolf grabbed the 3-year-old daughter and forced her to submerge. The mother was able to rescue her daughter, who was screaming for help and coughing up water. Wolf also allegedly snatched the mother's hijab and hit her with it during the altercation.
Calls for Hate Crime Investigation
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has called for federal and state authorities to investigate the incident as a hate crime. CAIR reported that the mother and her children are traumatized by the event, with the daughter hiding every time the apartment door is opened, fearing another attack. The Euless Police Department has recommended that the incident be considered a hate crime, and the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office is currently investigating.
State Rep. Salman Bhojani expressed his shock and dismay at the incident, emphasizing that 'hate has no place in Euless, District 92, or anywhere else in our great state.' CAIR has also noted a significant rise in complaints of discrimination and hate incidents against Muslims, reporting 8,061 complaints nationwide last year, the highest in their 30-year history.
- Wolf was arrested on the scene for public intoxication and later charged with attempted capital murder and injury to a child. She has since posted bail, with bonds set at $25,000 for the attempted murder charge and $15,000 for the injury to a child charge.
- The incident has sparked a broader conversation about the rise of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian sentiment in the United States. CAIR's Texas branch has called for higher bail and an open dialogue with authorities to address these alarming trends.
