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Robert Aaron Long opened fire on the evening of Tuesday the 16th of March, at three different Atlanta-based spa and massage businesses. Long was charged on Wednesday with the murder of eight people shot dead during the attacks - six of which were women of Asian descent.
At 5 pm on Tuesday, authorities were first called to Young Asians Massage, after reports of gunshots. Inside, authorities found five people with bullet wounds. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and two died in hospital. The deceased were two women of Asian descent, a white woman, and a white man. That is according to the Cherokee County police department.
Around an hour later, police received a call reporting a robbery at Gold Spa in Atlanta, and found three people dead. Soon after, another call was made reporting shots fired at Aromatherapy Spa -- directly across the street from Gold Spa -- where one woman was found dead. All victims from Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa were Asian women.
According to Rodney Bryant, acting chief of the Atlanta Police Department, it is not yet clear whether the shooting would be classified as a hate crime. As reported by The New York Times, Long told authorities: “the attacks were an attempt to remove the temptation of his self-described sex addiction, and not motivated by racism.”
Anti-Asian sentiment
The shooting has sparked mourning on a national and global scale, expressed in particular through memorials and vigils seen across the United States. The killings add to an already-violent period for Asian-Americans, as racist attacks have spiked since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Stop AAPI Hate a non-profit organisation that tracks incidents of hate and violence against the Asian and Pacific Islanders community in the US, reports that nearly 3,800 hate-fuelled incidents targeting Asian Americans have occured across all 50 states since the beginning of the pandemic.
White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki, links high rates of violence to Trump’s legacy. “Calling COVID the ‘Wuhan virus’ or other things,” Psaki said, “led to perceptions of the Asian-American community that are inaccurate.” In turn, Psaki believes this has “elevated threats against Asian-Americans, and we’re seeing that around the country.”
A march through Washington DC occurred the night after the shooting, with 200 people in attendance gathering near the Chinatown entrance. In Garden Grove, California, a candlelight vigil took place on Wednesday to honour the victims of the attack.
Though authorities state it is not yet clear whether this was a racially motivated attack, it cannot be ignored that the majority of the victims were Asian women. Specifically, Long targeted Asian-owned businesses. A press conference led by Captain Jay Baker drew controversy when he stated: "Yesterday was a really bad day for [Long], and this is what he did." Many claim that this implied sympathy for the perpetrator.
It has since been discovered that Barker previously posted photos of T-shirts based on the Corona beer label, which read: "Covid 19 IMPORTED VIRUS FROM CHY-NA."
Responses
US President Biden and VP Kamala Harris are to meet with Asian community leaders today (March 19th) in Atlanta. The visit marks the pair's first joint trip since taking office. The meeting with Asian American state legislators and community advocates will be at Emory University.
On Wednesday, Biden commented regarding the attack, “Whatever the motivation here, I know Asian Americans are very concerned, because as you know I have been speaking about the brutality against Asian Americans, and it’s troubling.”
Kamala Harris also said on Wednesday, “It is tragic. Our country, the president and I and all of us, we grieve for those lost," before adding: “I do want to say to our Asian American community that we stand with you and understand how this has frightened and shocked and outraged all people.”
The names of those killed:
Delaina Ashley Yaun, aged 33
Xiaojie Tan, aged 49
Daoyou Feng, aged 44
Paul Andre Michels, aged 54
Hyun Jung Grant, aged 51
Soon C Park, aged 74
Suncha Kim, aged 69
Yong A Yue, aged 63
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