Eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent, were killed in a series of shootings at three spas in or near Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday night.
The suspected gunman, a 21-year-old white man named Robert Aaron Long, was arrested several hours later, according to law enforcement. The authorities have not publicly reported a potential motive for the attacks.
The shootings transpired amid escalating reports of hate incidents against Asian-Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, which ex-President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to as “the China virus” in a racist attempt to blame China for his botched response to the virus.
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- Law enforcement reports that the first shooting occurred at around 5 PM ET at Young’s Asian Massage in Cherokee County (about 40 miles away from Atlanta), where two women of Asian descent, a white woman and a white man were killed.
- About an hour later, Atlanta police officers responding to a call reporting a robbery at the Gold Spa beauty salon discovered that three women of Asian descent had been fatally shot there, according to authorities.
- Then the officers at the scene found another female shooting victim of Asian descent in a spa across the street after receiving a call of shots fired, Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant says.
- The suspected gunman was arrested at around 8:30 p.m ET after brief manhunt, according to authorities. A potential motive for the attacks has not yet been reported.
Eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent, were killed in a series of shootings at three spas in or near Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday night.
The suspected gunman, a 21-year-old white man named Robert Aaron Long, was arrested several hours later, according to law enforcement. The authorities have not publicly reported a potential motive for the attacks.
The shootings transpired amid escalating reports of hate incidents against Asian-Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, which ex-President Donald Trump repeatedly referred to as “the China virus” in a racist attempt to blame China for his botched response to the virus.
Follow our live coverage below: