An unspeakable tragedy : Asian American community reacts to deadly spa shootings in Georgia By Li Cohen, April Siese
Updated on: March 17, 2021 / 2:49 PM / CBS News 8 dead in Atlanta-area spa shootings
A series of shootings in Georgia on Tuesday night has left many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders feeling heartbroken and frightened.
Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were shot and killed at three Atlanta-area spas, and another man was wounded. A suspect, identified as 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, is in custody for the deadly shootings at Young s Asian Massage in Cherokee County and two Atlanta businesses, Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa, which are across the street from each other.
Robert Long killed Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun and Paul Andre Michels, police said. A fifth person, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, was injured.
Kamala Harris says the Atlanta attacks have frightened and shocked and outraged all people nytimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nytimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kanawa Studio/iStock via Getty Images
According to a recent study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, hate crimes in major U.S. cities dropped last year by about 7 percent. Anti-Asian hate crimes, however, spiked by almost 150 percent. The racist rhetoric falsely blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic no doubt contributed to this wave of harassment and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). The murder of six women of Asian descent, along with two other victims, outside Atlanta on March 16 is the latest tragedy, though law enforcement has not yet classified it as a hate crime.