In the span of about an hour, three deadly shootings took place at massage parlors in the Atlanta area Tuesday evening (March 16). Six of the eight victims have been reported to be Asian women, sparking concerns that the shootings were motivated by racial hate.
According to CNN, authorities haven’t identified a motive for the attacks, but took in a 21-year-old suspect who they found 150 miles south of Atlanta that same night.
The outlet reported that officials in the South Korea’s foreign ministry have reached out to its consulate in Atlanta and have reported that four of the victims were of Korean ethnicity.
The shootings started at a massage parlor approximately 30 miles northwest of Atlanta, and was followed with two more shootings in the northeastern area of Atlanta.
Because of the nationwide rise of hate crimes against Asian people during the coronavirus pandemic, advocates and authorities expressed concern that ethnicity played a role in the shootings.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the FBI arrived to assist local police in the investigation of the shooting.
The victim’s identities have not been released as officials work to notify family members.
After a chase, police apprehended the suspect Robert Long in Crisp County, Georgia around 8:30 p.m., about three hours after the first shooting took place at Young’s Asian Massage parlor.
The other two shootings took place at Gold Massage Spa and Aroma Therapy Spa, located about 30 miles away from the first shooting.
Area authorities are reportedly increasing their patrols around similar businesses.
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