Atlanta Massage Parlor Shootings: 'Too Early' To Rule Out A Hate Crime
Three shootings at massage parlors have rocked the city of Atlanta. Robert Aaron Long, 21, has confessed. Long seemed to target the Asain community, but there are still questions if it was a hate crime.
CBS reports Long told investigators he had a "sex addiction" and saw the spas as a temptation he wanted to eliminate. He was charged with eights counts of murder, however, it was still “too early” to rule out a hate crime, officials said.
Atlanta Capt. Jay Baker said the spa shooter had "a bad day." BuzzFeed reports that in April of 2020, a Facebook page belonging to Baker posted a photo of a racist shirt blaming China for the pandemic. The T-shirt said the coronavirus was imported from "CHY-NA." The caption on the picture read “Love my shirt. Get yours while they last.” Baker has not addressed these social media posts.
On the evening of Tuesday, March 16, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia, was caught on video at the crime scenes of three massage parlors in the Atlanta, Georgia area.
Long appeared to target Asian women. Eight people are reportedly dead with six of the victims being Asian women, CNN reports.
Long’s vehicle was seen on surveillance footage and he was allegedly taken into custody after a police chase on the highway. He was arrested “without incident.”
Yahoo reported an Instagram account that belongs to Long had a tagline that read, “Pizza, guns, drums, music, family, and God. This pretty much sums up my life. It’s a pretty good life.”
See the mugshot below:
