Eight killed in Georgia massage parlor shootings

A gunman opened fire inside Youngs Asian Massage Parlor about 30 miles north of Atlanta at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Two people died at the scene and two others died at a hospital, said the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Jay Baker. Nearly an hour later, Atlanta police responded to a robbery in progress at Gold Spa, where they found three women dead from gunshot wounds. Police at the scene learned of a call reporting shots fired at Aromatherapy Spa across the street and found another woman shot dead.

Who is behind the attack? Authorities detained Robert Aaron Long, 21, after video footage tied his vehicle to the spas at the time of the attacks. Authorities have not confirmed his motive but said most of the victims were of Asian descent. The killings come amid heightened attacks against Asian Americans as the pandemic spread across the United States. Atlanta police have increased patrols across similar businesses. “Our entire family is praying for the victims of these horrific acts of violence,” Gov. Brian Kemp said in a Twitter post.

Dig deeper: Read Emily Belz’s WORLD Magazine report on harassment and assaults against Asian Americans in New York.