Robert Aaron Long, the man who went on a rampage at three spas in the Atlanta area, killing 8 people, was charged with eight counts of murder.
The shootings which took the lives of six Asian women, stirred considerable outrage and fear in the Asian-American community. However, officials cannot yet confirm if the attack was racially motivated.
Meanwhile the suspect denied such racial animus once in custody. The suspect told Georgia police that he had a “sexual addiction” and had carried out the shootings at the massage parlors to eliminate his “temptation”. However, police didn’t ruled out the possibility of racial motives as his explanation was not convincing.
“Whatever the motivation was for this guy, we know that the majority of the victims were Asian,” Ms. Bottoms said. “We also know that this is an issue that is happening across the country. It is unacceptable, it is hateful and it has to stop.”
