The suspect arrested for the three deadly shootings that occurred Tuesday night at spa salons in metro Atlanta, Georgia, has been charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault, without the right to bail, police said.
The defendant, a white man identified as Robert Aaron Long
,
21, admitted to carrying out the shootings at massage and spa salons, where eight women of Asian descent were killed.
According to investigators, the defendant denied any racist or political motivation for the attack and alluded to an alleged
"sex addiction" for which he blamed the businesses
he opened fire on.
A memorial is improvised outside one of the attacked businesses in Atlanta.
Massage parlors and spas are legal in Atlanta.
"We are not going to get into blaming the victims or shaming them," said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
[This mother reported the disappearance of her son and showed no remorse when the terrible truth was known]
The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said the shooter "gave indications that he has some problems
, potentially sexual addiction."
Six of the fatalities were of Asian origin and the other two white, according to authorities.
The people who died in Cherokee County
are: Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, Paul Andre Michels, 54, Xiaojie Yan, 49, and Daoyou Feng, 44.
There was a survivor who was identified as: Elcias R. Hernandez Ortiz, 30 years old.
Three shootings in metro Atlanta leave eight dead
March 17, 202100: 20
The alleged murderer was a "frequent user" of these places, according to the authorities, these places were
"a temptation that he wanted to eliminate
," Baker told reporters, who added that there could have been many more victims to regret had he not been caught. quickly.
In the interview with the authorities, the young man assured that he was going to Florida and that there he
was going to commit new crimes
of this type.
[Murder-suicide in Pennsylvania: three dead after a fight between neighbors shoveling snow]
Long was taken into custody in Crisp County, about 125 kilometers south of Atlanta after authorities tracked his movements via GPS.
His vehicle
was seen heading south on I-75
, and a Georgia police officer used a maneuver, in which a police car is used to physically stop another vehicle.
Two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that
the weapon, a 9mm pistol, used by Long was legally purchased
Tuesday before the shooting.
The man is charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.
You do not have the right to bail.
Robert Aaron Long was arrested as a suspect in the Atlanta spa shootings.
The FBI joined the investigation of the attacks, which began around 5 p.m. Tuesday when four people were killed in Acworth, a northern suburb of Atlanta.
Less than an hour later, four women were killed in two other shootings in Atlanta.
Cherokee Sheriff's Deputies received a call for shooting at the
"Youngs Asian Massage"
facility in Acworth, Georgia.
Upon arrival,
officers found five people with gunshot wounds
, two of whom were dead and the others were taken to
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital
.
Two of the injured subsequently died from their injuries.
[His son was found dead and tortured on a beach. This Latina will spend the rest of her life in prison in Texas]
About 45 minutes after the shooting in Cherokee County and 30 miles away, Atlanta police responded to a report of a robbery on Piedmont Road in the northeast part of the city.
Authorities discovered three women dead from apparent gunshot wounds
and, while at the scene, received a gunshot call from across the street, where a woman was found dead inside a business, Atlanta police said.
Third-degree murder charge dismissed for ex-cop charged in George Floyd's death
Oct. 22, 202000: 19
"A crime against any community is a crime against all of us," said Bottoms, who congratulated the work of the police forces for the prompt arrest of the suspect.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that President Joe Biden had been briefed "overnight on the horrific shooting in Atlanta."
"White House officials have been in contact with the mayor's office and will continue to be in contact with the FBI," he said.
[Aggressions against older adults of Asian origin skyrocket]
The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs told our sister network NBC News that
four of the women who died were of Korean origin
, but their nationalities have not yet been verified.
During a visit to South Korea, Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to the shootings and said that such violence had no place in the United States or anywhere.
"We will defend the right of our fellow Americans and
Koreans to be safe and to be treated with dignity,
" he said.
Agents outside a massage parlor in Atlanta following a shooting on March 16, 2021.
Since the shootings occurred at massage parlors and spas, Atlanta police said Tuesday night that officers were dispatched to similar businesses and patrols increased.
The same thing happened in New York City, with police deploying counterterrorism agents in Asian communities as a precaution, a department spokesman said.
[Two men accused of assaulting the policeman who died during the assault on the Capitol are arrested]
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan called the violence in Atlanta an "act of hatred" and said she and Police Chief Adrian Diaz are taking additional steps to
protect Seattle's Asian-American communities
, including police patrols. additional.
After the killings, Senator Raphael Warnock, a Georgia Democrat, said he was praying for the victims' families and the community.
"My heart is broken tonight after the tragic violence in Atlanta that claimed eight lives. Once again we see that hatred is deadly. Praying for the families of the victims and for the peace of the community," he tweeted.
"
Our entire family is praying for the victims
of these horrific acts of violence," Georgia Governor Brian Kemp tweeted, adding his thanks for the swift arrest of a suspect by law enforcement.
"This is not very common for us," Captain Baker said.
"In 2020, we had a homicide."
With information from NBC News, The Washington Post.
