A 21-year-old man from Georgia had been arrested after eight people tragically died in three different massage parlors in Atlanta.
Robert Aaron Long, who had declared “a love for God and guns,” was taken into custody in Crisp County following a police car chase on Tuesday night.
Four women were found dead at two parlors in northeast Atlanta and four more victims were killed at another parlor in suburban Acworth. One man was left wounded after the shooting incident.
According to the Crisp County Sheriff’s Office, they received information on Long’s vehicle and found him driving along a highway.
Police said that they are still trying to determine whether the shootings were a racially-motivated hate crime as six of the eight people who died were Asian women.
“Once again we see that hate is deadly. Praying for the families of the victims and for peace for the community,” said Sen. Raphael Warnock, adding that “my heart is broken after the tragic violence.”
Georgia governor Brian Kemp also said that “our entire family is praying for the victims of these horrific acts of violence.”
Adriana Meija, the niece man who got injured during the shooting incident, said they were “devasted” after her uncle was shot.
“We never know when we’re at the wrong place at the wrong time because this was so all of a sudden,” she expressed.
According to reports, Long had declared on his Instagram account: “Pizza, guns, drums, music, family, and God. This pretty much sums up my life. It’s a pretty good life.”
He was taken into custody following a car chase about 150 miles from Atlanta in which police caused his car to “spin out of control” until the suspect was stopped and arrested.
According to South Korea’s foreign ministry, diplomats in Georgia have confirmed that four of the victims were women of Korean descent.
The first shooting occurred at Young’s Asian Massage parlor located off Bells Ferry Road and Highway 92 in Acworth. All five victims were shot inside the facility.
The suspect then drove over 30 miles and opened fire at two other businesses northeast of the city in the suburb of Woodland Hills.
Atlanta Police Chief Rodney said three people were killed in Gold Spa while another person was killed at Aromatherapy Spa.
The horrific shootings happened at spas where most of the employees are Asians. It was not immediately whether the victims were customers, bystanders, or staff.
Because of the shootings, police dispatched officers to check other similar businesses in the area.
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