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2021 Atlanta spa shootings

Coordinates: 33°48′35″N 84°21′58″W / 33.8096°N 84.3662°W / 33.8096; -84.3662 (Gold Spa)
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2021 Atlanta spa shootings
Part of mass shootings in the United States
Map
LocationAtlanta and Acworth, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates
DateMarch 16, 2021 (2021-03-16)
TargetPeople at massage parlors
Attack type
Mass shooting, shooting spree
Weapons9mm semi-automatic pistol
Deaths8
Injured1
AccusedRobert Aaron Long[1]

On March 16, 2021, a series of mass shootings occurred at three massage parlors in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Eight people were killed, six of whom were women of Asian descent, and one person was wounded. A suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, was taken into custody later that day.

While no motive has yet been established, a number of commentators had noted the victims' ethnicity in the context of a sharp recent rise in anti-Asian hate crimes amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as characterizing it as a hate crime. The suspect during questioning said that the shootings were not racially motivated but instead related to his sex addiction.[2][3]

Shootings

Authorities responded to reports made at around 5:00 p.m. EDT (21:00 UTC) of a shooting at Young's Asian Massage, a massage parlor near Acworth.[4] There, they found two people fatally shot and three others wounded; two of the wounded later died at a hospital. At 5:47 p.m., police responded to reports of a robbery at Gold Spa on Piedmont Road in northeast Atlanta, about 30 miles (48 km) from the first shooting scene. There, they found three women dead from gunshot wounds. Soon afterwards, they discovered another woman shot and killed at Aromatherapy Spa, located across the street.[5][6][7][8]

According to The Chosun Ilbo, an eyewitness to the Gold Spa shooting told local Korean media that the shooter said that he would kill all Asians.[9]

According to the Atlanta Police Department, they noticed the similarities between the Piedmont Road and Acworth shootings and subsequently dispatched officers to patrol similar businesses in the area.[10] The Federal Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist in the investigation.[11]

Victims

Eight people were killed and one other person was wounded in the shootings. Six of the deceased died at the scene, one en route to a hospital, and another died while in treatment.[12] Six victims, four at Piedmont Road and two at Acworth, were women of Asian descent.[7] The South Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry reported that four of the deceased were of Korean ethnicity.[13] The remaining two deceased victims were a white woman and a white man, while the survivor was a Hispanic man.[4][7]

Suspect

After the first shooting, Cherokee County police released surveillance footage and were contacted by a couple who identified the suspect as their son, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock. While his parents were being interviewed, the Atlanta Police Department was responding to the second and third shootings in Atlanta. Using surveillance footage of Long's Hyundai Tucson at both crime scenes and a tracking device already on the car, police were able to find him.[14][15]

At around 8:30 p.m., roughly 3.5 hours after the shootings, Long was spotted by police in Crisp County about 150 miles (240 km) south of Atlanta. Georgia State Patrol officers followed him south on Interstate 75 until a location just south of Cordele, where they used a PIT maneuver to stop his vehicle and took him into custody.[11][16] According to police, they found a 9 mm gun in his car.[15] Long bought a gun hours before the shooting at a Big Woods Goods store in Holly Springs, Georgia.[17]

Long was initially arrested in connection to the Acworth shooting, but police later identified him as a suspect in the Piedmont Road shootings as well.[5][7][10][18] Long is currently being held in Cherokee County on four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault, and is also facing four counts of murder in Atlanta, according to city police.[19]

Long graduated from Sequoyah High School in 2017; according to a former student who graduated with him, Long was the son of a youth minister or pastor, and "into religion".[12] Long had been an active member of his Southern Baptist congregation, attending church most Sundays together with his father, as well as services during the week, and also went on mission trips.[20]

Motive

No motive has yet been established. However, several commentators noted the ethnicity of the victims, six of eight of which are women of Asian descent, amidst an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, or have characterized it as a hate crime.[21][22] According to The Chosun Ilbo, an eyewitness to the Gold Spa shooting told local Korean media that the shooter said that he would kill all Asians.[9] Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department has dismissed reports that Long's actions were racially motivated, instead stating that Long simply had a "really bad day".[23] Baker was criticized for this statement on social media.[24]

The suspect has claimed that his actions were not racially motivated, but instead related to his sexual addiction.[11][25] According to the Cherokee County Sheriff, the suspect wanted to "eliminate the temptation" by targeting massage parlors.[25][26] Long allegedly spent time in rehabilitation for sexual addiction in 2020, and felt "tortured" by his addiction to sex as he was deeply religious, according to a roommate who lived with him during his stay at a transition house after exiting rehabilitation.[19] According to a police source, Long was recently kicked out of the house by his family due to his sexual addiction.[19]

The suspect was on his way to Florida when he was apprehended.[27][19] According to officials from the Cherokee County Sheriff's office, Long was traveling to Florida with the intention to attack "some type of porn industry."[28] The same officials said they believe Long may in the past have patronized one or more of the spas he targeted.[28]

A terrorism expert has compared the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings to the 2020 Toronto machete attack by an incel male ideologue.[29]

On March 17, Long was charged with four counts of murder by Atlanta police and four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office. According to police, Long confessed to the killings after being taken into custody. Long's first court appearance was scheduled for March 18.[11]

Reactions

Local and state

Atlanta mayor Keisha Bottoms said that it would be appropriate if the suspect was charged with a hate crime.[19]

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp expressed via Twitter his condolences to the victims of the shootings and praised authorities for apprehending the suspect quickly.[10] In a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Kemp said that there were indicators of the shootings being a hate crime, but added that he was willing to let investigating authorities determine the facts before he would offer his opinion.[14]

Georgia House of Representatives member Sam Park urged Asian Americans facing discrimination to reach out.[19] State representative Bee Nguyen opined that "people are worried and are praying for their families and themselves" after the shooting and that Donald Trump's use of the term "China Virus" "put a target on the backs of Asians in America".[30]

Federal

President Joe Biden said he would wait for an investigation before commenting on the shooter's motives but condemned discrimination against Asian Americans.[22] On March 18, Biden ordered that American flags at the White House, on other federal grounds, at military installations, on naval vessels, and at U.S. embassies to be flown at half-mast until sunset on March 22 to respect the victims of the shooting.[31][32] Vice President Kamala Harris also expressed her solidarity to the Asian American community.[22] Biden and Harris postponed an Atlanta event that was part of a previously scheduled tour promoting the recently signed American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and instead was scheduled to meet with local Asian-American community leaders to discuss the attacks.[31]

Representatives Ted Lieu (D-CA)—the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus whip—and Judy Chu (D-CA) condemned the attack.[12][19]

Others

Andrew Yang gave a speech in Times Square calling the shooting a hate crime.[21] The nonprofit social organization Stop AAPI Hate said the shootings were a tragedy both for the families of the victims and Asian Americans in general.[4]

A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department said counterterrorism officers have been deployed to Asian American communities as a precaution due to the shootings.[33] Police patrols and community outreach efforts were also increased in Seattle.[13]

Asian American basketball player Jeremy Lin blamed the shootings on the rhetoric of Donald Trump.[34][35] Other NBA players such as LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma, Baron Davis, and Trae Young also made statements denouncing the shooting, alleged racism, and expressing solidarity with the Asian community.[34][36]

References

  1. ^ Aggarwal, Mayank (March 17, 2021). "Atlanta spa shootings: What we know about 'religious, nerdy' suspect Robert Aaron Long". The Independent. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  2. ^ Falcon, Russell (March 17, 2021). "Atlanta shootings put spotlight on surging anti-Asian sentiment in America". KXAN Austin. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Johnson, Marty (March 17, 2021). "Atlanta killings underscore troubling rise in anti-Asian violence". The Hill. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Fausset, Richard; Vigdor, Neil (March 16, 2021). "8 People Killed in Atlanta-Area Massage Parlor Shootings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Lynch, Jamiel; Almasy, Steve (March 16, 2021). "8 killed in shootings at 3 metro Atlanta spas. Police have 1 suspect in custody". CNN. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  6. ^ D'Angelo, Bob (March 16, 2021). "Atlanta spa shooting: Suspect may have had 'sexual addiction'". Fox 23 News. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Hollis, Henri; Abusaid, Shaddi; Stevens, Alexis (March 16, 2021). "8 killed in metro Atlanta spa shooting spree; suspect captured in South Georgia". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  8. ^ "Spa killing spree leaves 8 dead in metro Atlanta; suspect captured". 11Alive. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021 – via Associated Press.
  9. ^ a b Hwang, Ji-yoon (March 17, 2021). "애틀랜타 총격 범인, 아시아인 다 죽이겠다 말해" [Atlanta shooter tells me I'm going to kill all Asians]. Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved March 17, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b c Culver, Jordan (March 16, 2021). "8 dead in 3 shootings at massage parlors in Georgia; police investigating motive; suspect arrested". USA Today. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d Pereira, Ivan; Foster, Matt; Shapiro, Emily (March 17, 2021). "Georgia spa murders: Suspect charged with 8 counts of murder". ABC News. Retrieved March 18, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ a b c Montgomery, Blake; Cruz, Chamian; Ibrahim, Noor (March 16, 2021). "Massage Parlor Massacres Suspect Said He Loved Guns & God". The Daily Beast. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  13. ^ a b Holcombe, Madeline (March 17, 2021). "In the space of about an hour, 8 people were killed at 3 Atlanta-area spas. One person is in custody". CNN. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Boone, Christian; Sharpe, Joshua (March 17, 2021). "Spa shooting suspect's parents turned him in". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved March 17, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ a b WSJ Staff (March 17, 2021). "Who Is Robert Aaron Long? Suspect Charged in the Atlanta Spa Shootings". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 18, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ Monk, Krista (March 16, 2021). "Suspect wanted in deadly Atlanta-area shootings caught in Crisp Co". WALB. Retrieved March 16, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "'A crime against us all.' Outrage, grief after deadly spa shootings". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  18. ^ Brumback, Kate (March 16, 2021). "Georgia massage parlor shootings leave 8 dead; man captured". Associated Press. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g Hanna, Jason; Watts, Amanda; Holcombe, Madeline. "Suspect in Atlanta-area spa shootings might have intended more shootings in Florida, mayor says". CNN. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  20. ^ "Christan leaders wrestle with Atlanta shooting suspect's Southern Baptist ties". Washington Post. March 17, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Custodio, Jonathan (March 17, 2021). "Yang decries Georgia shooting, calls for more funding for hate-crime task force". Politico. Retrieved March 17, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ a b c Neumann, Sean (March 17, 2021). "'Hate Is Deadly': Lawmakers Speak Out After Ga. Spree Shooting Kills 6 Asian Women". People. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  23. ^ "Christian mass shooter Robert Long was tired of 'temptation' posed by massage parlors: police". Christian Post. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  24. ^ Lonas, Lexi (March 17, 2021). "Officer faces criticism for saying suspected Georgia shooter had 'a really bad day'". TheHill. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Holcombe, Madeline (March 18, 2021). "Unsettling questions surround the motive behind three Atlanta-area spa shootings as Asians in the US face increased hate". CNN. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Graziosi, Graig (March 17, 2021). "Police claim Georgia suspect said 'bad day' and sex addiction led to massage parlour murders". The Independent.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  27. ^ Sundby, Alex. "Atlanta police hold press conference on deadly spa shootings". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  28. ^ a b By: Janel Forte, Alexa Mencia, Michael Geheren, Tom Negovan. Posted: Mar 17, 2021 / 01:37 PM CDT / Updated: Mar 17, 2021 / 05:32 PM CDT. https://wgntv.com/news/suspect-in-atlanta-area-massage-parlor-shootings-charged-with-murder-assault/. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  29. ^ Joyner, Chris (March 17, 2021). "Charges for accused mass shooter could include hate crimes, experts say". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  30. ^ Jung, Christina (March 18, 2021). "Asian Americans fearful after Georgia massage parlour shootings". CBC News. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  31. ^ a b Quinn, Melissa (March 18, 2021). "Biden orders flags at half-staff to honor victims of Atlanta-area spa shootings". CBS News. Retrieved March 18, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  32. ^ "President Biden orders five-day mourning period for victims of Atlanta shootings". Yonhap News Agency. March 19, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ "Shootings at Atlanta Asian massage parlours leave eight dead". Sky News. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  34. ^ a b Reyes, Lorenzo. "'Senseless and tragic': LeBron James, NBA stars speak out against Atlanta-area shootings". USA Today. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  35. ^ "Jeremy Lin on Atlanta spa shootings: 'I worry I encourage hate by speaking out'". The Guardian. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  36. ^ "Athletes denounce Atlanta shootings, condemn anti-Asian racism". Sportsnet. March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
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