Suspect in deadly spa shootings in Atlanta area being charged with 8 counts of murder
A suspect has been arrested and reportedly taken responsibility for three separate shootings at Atlanta-area massage parlors on Tuesday that left eight people dead.
and last updated 2021-03-17 16:48:30-04
Authorities in the Atlanta area say the man arrested in connection with three deadly shootings at local spas has âtaken responsibilityâ and that he may have targeted businesses that he had frequented in the past.
The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, was arrested in Crisp County Tuesday. The 21-year-old is facing eight counts of murder, four for the victims killed in Cherokee County and four for the victims in the city of Atlanta. He s also facing at least one count of aggravated assault.
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has released a statement in the wake of the massage parlor attacks that left eight people dead, saying Wednesday that a crime against any community is a crime against us all.
At least six people of Asian American descent were among the dead. Police have not said whether race played a factor in the shootings.
In her Wednesday morning statement, Bottoms lauded law enforcement for their quick work in arresting 21-year-old suspect Robert Aaron Long, from Woodstock, Ga. She noted that a motive has not yet been determined. I have remained in close contact with the White House and [Atlanta Police Department (APD)] as they work with federal, state and local partners to investigate the suspect who is responsible for this senseless violence in our city, she said. My prayers are with the families and friends of the victims whose lives were cut short by these shootings.
Rising anti-Asian racism, especially toward women
The deadly attack comes at a time during increasing reports of anti-Asian racism and violence during the coronavirus pandemic. Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition documenting and addressing anti-Asian discrimination during the pandemic, said it received nearly 3,800 self reports of anti-Asian hate incidents between March 2020 and last month.
Women made up a far higher share of the reports, at 68% versus 29% for men. There is an intersectional dynamic going on that others may perceive both Asians and women and Asian women as easier targets, Russell Jeung, professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University and the forum s co-founder, told NBC Asian America.
Obama Calls For End To Anti-Asian Violence After Shootings At Massage Spas
Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were killed during three shootings in the Atlanta area.
Former President Barack Obama called for an end to anti-Asian violence after a series of shootings at three Atlanta-area massage spas left eight people dead, including six women of Asian descent.
“Even as we’ve battled the pandemic, we’ve continued to neglect the longer-lasting epidemic of gun violence in America,” Obama said Wednesday in a statement. “Although the shooter’s motive is not yet clear, the identity of the victims underscores an alarming rise in anti-Asian violence that must end.”