Atlanta Suspect Robert Aaron Long Says Motive Not Race, But Sex Addiction
On 3/17/21 at 11:40 AM EDT
The man suspected of killing eight people in three shootings at massage parlors in the Atlanta area claimed he has a sex addiction and wanted to eliminate the temptation, authorities said.
Authorities took Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, Georgia into custody without incident a few hours after the shootings on Tuesday evening.
At a news conference on Wednesday morning, authorities said it was still too early in the investigation to declare a motive for the shootings.
Cherokee County Chief Frank Reynolds said that during an interview with police, Long had denied the shootings were racially motivated, instead blaming it on a sex addiction issue.
BBC News
Published
media captionAtlanta shootings: It s scary just to be an Asian American woman
A man has been charged with murder over the killing of eight people at massage parlours in Atlanta, Georgia.
Officials cannot yet confirm if the attack, in which six Asian women were killed, was racially motivated. Four victims were named on Wednesday.
The suspect, named as Robert Aaron Long, faces multiple counts of murder as well as aggravated assault.
Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said the suspect may have been a patron and claimed to have a sex addiction .
The attack comes amid a sharp uptick in crimes against Asian-Americans.
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Replay Video UP NEXT Robert Aaron Long was charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault in the attacks in Cherokee County, according to the sheriff’s office there. The Atlanta police said later Wednesday afternoon that he was also charged with four counts of homicide in the killings in that city. Six Asian women died in the attacks on Tuesday, prompting widespread concern that the killings could be the latest in a surge of hate crimes against Asian Americans.
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CORRECTS DATELINE TO ACWORTH INSTEAD OF WOODSTOCK - Authorities investigate a fatal shooting at a massage parlor, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Acworth, Ga. Officials say 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia, has been captured hours after multiple people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors. Mike Stewart
An official stands in front of a massage parlor after a shooting, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Authorities say shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors have left several people dead, many of them women of Asian descent. Brynn Anderson
Jesus Estrella, of Kennesaw, prays in silence at Youngs Asian Massage parlor where four people were killed, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Acworth, Ga. Estrella, who said he was of Asian & Hispanic decent, said I felt like I had to come and support the community. A white gunman was charged Wednesday with killing eight people a