The author of the shootings in Asian massage parlors in Atlanta was indicted on Wednesday for murders, homicides and assaults, the day after the attacks which left eight people dead and sowed fear in the Asian community in the United States.
Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man, has denied any racist motive, presenting himself as a "sex addict" anxious to remove "a temptation", but investigators believe it is too early to comment on his motives.
Six of his eight victims are of Asian origin, including four of South Korean origin.
Seven are women.
Without prejudging the outcome of the investigations, President Joe Biden stressed that "Asian Americans were very worried."
"The violence" against this minority is "very worrying", he added.
The tragedy comes as this community says it has suffered from increasing verbal and physical attacks since the start of the pandemic that appeared in China in late 2019.
Jill and I are keeping everyone impacted by the shootings in Atlanta in our prayers.
We don't yet know the motive, but what we do know is that the Asian-American community is feeling enormous pain tonight.
The recent attacks against the community are un-American.
They must stop.
- President Biden (@POTUS) March 18, 2021
Robert Aaron Long, who acknowledges the facts, "says he has no racist motive," a local police official told a press conference.
"He insinuated that he had problems, sex addiction and may have frequented several of these places in the past," he continued.
The federal police intend to assist local investigators to verify his statements, by scanning social networks and questioning his relatives.
According to Georgia police, the suspect was a regular at the three salons.
The young man, a devout Christian follower of guns, first opened fire in the late afternoon at a massage parlor in Acworth, about 50 km from Atlanta, killing four and injuring two .
He later attacked two other salons, located in the large southern city, mopping four more lives.
According to investigators, he wanted to continue his murderous outfit as far as Florida, by fighting against impulses that he likened to "temptation".
Captured by surveillance cameras, located by his cell phone, he was apprehended after a chase, more than 240 km south of Atlanta.
Asian American community in shock
The drama "shocks our consciences," said Sam Park, local representative of the Asian community.
“Last year, we have already seen racism, discrimination and a resurgence of violence against Americans of Asian origin, considered to be scapegoats because of the pandemic,” he lamented.
Stephanie Cho, of the Asian American Advancing Justice organization in Atlanta, said she was "sad, devastated, angry, anguished, but resilient" after the tragedy.
"White supremacy is really killing us," she said, explaining that authorities were aware of the threats to the Asian community.
"Yes, it's a racist crime," adds Sarah Park, of South Korean origin like many of the victims and many Asian-Americans living in Georgia.
“Our community has a right to protection and it will be if everyone does their part,” insists Satak Park, who chairs the Korean American Coalition in Atlanta.
VIDEO.
Atlanta: three shootings targeting Asian massage parlors kill 8
Nearly 70% of people of Asian origin interviewed by Stop AAPI Hate have been victims of verbal harassment and 10% physically assaulted between March 2020 and February 2021, according to a report by this association published on Tuesday.
Although it is sometimes difficult to establish the xenophobic motive for an attack, the number of such crimes has nearly tripled from 49 to 122 last year in the 16 largest American cities, according to a study by the United States. Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism.
According to anti-racist activists, resentment was fueled by the speech by former President Donald Trump, who often referred to the coronavirus as a “Chinese virus”.
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Georgia has nearly 500,000 inhabitants of Asian origin, or just over 4% of its population, according to the Asian American Advocacy Fund, an Asian human rights group in the United States.
On Tuesday evening, the New York police announced "as a precaution" the sending of reinforcement patrols in areas concentrating residents of Asian origin.
