2021 Atlanta spa shootings
{{short description|Shooting spree in metro Atlanta, Georgia}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox civilian attack
| title = 2021 Atlanta spa shootings
| image = Young's Asian Massage (Hwy 92, Acworth, Georgia).jpg
| image_size =
| image_upright = 1.15
| alt =
| caption = Young's Asian Massage parlor (second from right), where the first shooting took place (pictured 2018)
| map = {{mapframe | frame = yes | plain = yes
| frame-align = center | frame-width = 250 | frame-height = 325 | frame-coordinates={{coord|33.0|-84.1}} | zoom = 7
| coord = {{coord|34.0882|-84.5811}} | type = point | marker = 1 | marker-color = #000058 | description = First shooting | title = Young's Asian Massage
| coord2 = {{coord|33.8096|-84.3662}} | type2 = point | marker2 = 2 | marker-color2 = #000058 | description2 = Second shooting | title2 = Gold Spa
| coord3 = {{coord|33.8102|-84.3658}} | type3 = point | marker3 = 3 | marker-color3 = #000058 | description3 = Third shooting | title3 = Aromatherapy Spa
| coord4 = {{coord|31.8547|-83.7189}} | type4 = point | marker4 = police | marker-color4 = | description4 = Suspect arrested | title4 = Interstate 75 around mile marker 93
}}
| map_size =
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| location = Atlanta and unincorporated Cherokee County, Georgia, U.S.
| target = Spas and massage parlors
| coordinates = {{Plainlist|
- {{coord|34.0882|-84.5811|region:US-GA_type:event|display=inline|name=Young's Asian Massage}}
(first shooting, unincorporated Cherokee County) - {{coord|33.8096|-84.3662|region:US-GA_type:event|display=inline|name=Gold Spa}}
(second shooting, in Atlanta) - {{coord|33.8102|-84.3658|region:US-GA_type:event|display=inline|name=Aromatherapy Spa}}
(third shooting, in Atlanta) - {{coord|31.8547|-83.7189|region:US-GA_type:event|display=inline|name=Suspect captured}}
(perpetrator captured, in unincorporated Crisp County)
}}
| date = {{start date|2021|03|16}}
| time = {{circa}} {{nowrap|4:50 p.m. EDT}} {{nowrap|(20:50 UTC)}}
| timezone =
| type = {{hlist|Mass shooting|femicide|mass murder|shooting spree}}
| fatalities = 8
| injuries = 1
| verdict = Pleaded guilty in Cherokee County murders
Fulton County trial pending
| charges = Domestic terrorism, malice murder (x4), felony murder (x4), aggravated assault (x4), and 6 other related charges (Fulton County){{cite web|title=A Man Accused Of Killing 8 In Atlanta Area Spa Shootings Pleads Guilty To 4 Deaths|website=NPR|date=July 27, 2021|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/07/27/1021144933/georgia-man-pleading-guilty-to-4-of-8-atlanta-area-spa-killings|access-date=December 25, 2021|archive-date=December 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225013334/https://www.npr.org/2021/07/27/1021144933/georgia-man-pleading-guilty-to-4-of-8-atlanta-area-spa-killings|url-status=live}}{{Infobox event
| title =
| child = yes
| sentence = Four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole plus 35 years (Cherokee County)
}}
| convictions = Malice murder (x4), felony murder (x4), aggravated assault (x4), and 11 other convictions (Cherokee County)
| victims =
| assailants =
| weapons = 9mm SAR semi-automatic pistol{{cite web |last1=Wallace |first1=Shannon |last2=Crossland|first2=Cyndi|title=Robert Aaron Long Pleads Guilty to Mass Shooting, Sentenced to Life Without Parole |url=https://www.cherokeega.com/District-Attorneys-Office/_resources/Press-Releases/2021/072721-Robert-Aaron-Long.pdf |access-date=May 17, 2024|date=July 27, 2021}}
| numparts =
| dfens =
| motive = Disputed
- Conflict between the perpetrator's sex addiction and his religious beliefs (claim by perpetrator)
- Anti-Asian racism (claim)
| inquiry =
| coroner =
| convicted =
| litigation =
| website =
| module =
| perpetrator = Robert Aaron Long{{cite news |last1=Aggarwal |first1=Mayank |title=Atlanta spa shootings: What we know about 'religious, nerdy' suspect Robert Aaron Long |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/atlanta-shootings-robert-aaron-long-b1818247.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317075459/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/atlanta-shootings-robert-aaron-long-b1818247.html |archive-date=2021-03-17 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=March 17, 2021 |work=The Independent |date=March 17, 2021}}
}}
On March 16, 2021, a shooting spree occurred at two spas and a massage parlor in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Eight people were killed and a ninth was wounded. A suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, was taken into custody later that day.{{Cite news|first1=Eliott C.|last1=McLaughlin|first2=Casey|last2=Tolan|first3=Amanda|last3=Watts|title=What we know about Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in Atlanta spa shootings|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/robert-aaron-long-suspected-shooter/index.html|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=March 22, 2021|publisher=CNN|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322043045/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/robert-aaron-long-suspected-shooter/index.html|url-status=live}} Long pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Long told police he was motivated by a sexual addiction that was at odds with his Christianity, for which he had spent time in an evangelical treatment clinic, and that he had been targeting establishments where he had previously paid for sex. While six of the eight people killed were women of Asian descent, Long denied that race had played any role in the killings, which was questioned by numerous organizations such as the CAPAC, CAA and NAPAWF, U.S. politicians Marilyn Strickland and Bee Nguyen, as well as by the South Korean media and the victims' families.
Long was charged with 19 crimes in Fulton County and 23 crimes in Cherokee County. He pleaded guilty to the Cherokee County charges and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The shooting was one of the main incidents that gave rise to the Stop Asian Hate movement, against the backdrop of rising anti-Asian sentiment in the country.{{cite web|title=1 year after the Atlanta spa shootings, a look at the movement to Stop Asian Hate|website=NPR|date=March 16, 2022|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/03/16/1087028236/1-year-after-the-atlanta-spa-shootings-a-look-at-the-movement-to-stop-asian-hate|access-date=May 7, 2023|archive-date=May 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230507031429/https://www.npr.org/2022/03/16/1087028236/1-year-after-the-atlanta-spa-shootings-a-look-at-the-movement-to-stop-asian-hate|url-status=live}}
Events
= Before the shootings =
On the morning of the day of the shooting, the suspect, Robert Aaron Long, was overheard by his roommate as he watched pornography in his room. Long said in court that he felt ashamed and went to purchase a firearm in order to commit suicide.
= Shootings =
== Cherokee County shooting ==
At approximately 2 p.m., Long legally purchased a 9mm handgun and a box of 50 bullets at a firearms store in Holly Springs. He also purchased a bottle of bourbon at a liquor store which he drank while driving to Young's Asian Massage. Surveillance footage showed him arriving at Young's Asian Massage, a massage parlor near Acworth,{{Cite news |last1=Fausset |first1=Richard |last2=Bogel-Burroughs |first2=Nicholas |last3=Fazio |first3=Marie |date=2021-03-17 |title=8 Dead in Atlanta Spa Shootings, With Fears of Anti-Asian Bias |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/17/us/shooting-atlanta-acworth |access-date=2022-03-05 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220305031152/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/17/us/shooting-atlanta-acworth |url-status=live }} and sitting for an hour in the parking lot. While in the parking lot, he loaded the gun. He then entered the building at about 3:38{{Nbsp}}p.m.{{Nbsp}}EDT {{nowrap|(19:38 UTC)}} and remained inside for a period of one hour and 12 minutes.{{Cite news|last1=Craig|first1=Tim|last2=Berman|first2=Mark|last3=Knowles|first3=Hannah|last4=Fisher|first4=Marc|title=A nationwide horror: Witnesses, police paint a picture of a murderous rampage that took 8 lives|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/what-happened-atlanta-shooting/2021/03/18/163e4de8-8733-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 21, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318233341/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/what-happened-atlanta-shooting/2021/03/18/163e4de8-8733-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html|url-status=live}} When he was inside the building, Long paid for a service. The service ended around 4:45 p.m. and Long went to the restroom in the back of the building.{{Cite web |date=2021-07-28 |title=Atlanta-area spa shooter to serve 4 life sentences in Cherokee County slayings |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/atlanta-area-spa-shootings-suspect-pleads-guilty-cherokee-county-charges-n1275139 |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=NBC News |language=en}} Another customer who went to Young's that day said in an interview that everything was still normal inside when he arrived at around 4:40{{Nbsp}}p.m.
When Long finished using the bathroom, he walked out, pulled out his 9mm handgun, and aimed it at Paul Andre Michels. Michels was in the back of the building using his cellphone while leaning over a counter. Long fatally shot him once in the head. Long began walking towards the front of the business in the main hallway. His next victim, Daoyou Feng, was in room 3. Feng poked her head out of the room and Long shot her once in the head. Long entered room 4 and shot Xiaojie Tan once in the head. Long then walked into room 2 and injured a man. Long entered room 6 and fatally shot customer Delaina Ashley Yaun González once in the torso while she was hiding in the corner of the room. Her husband was receiving a service in another room. Only six people in the building were left uninjured.
Long left Young's at 4:50{{Nbsp}}p.m. Shots were fired at some point after. A customer who survived a gunshot wound said the gunman walked into Young's and began firing. The customer threw himself to the floor and begged the gunman not to shoot him. The gunman demanded him to look up at him, and when the customer complied, he was shot in the face.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbs46.com/news/sole-survivor-of-the-metro-atlanta-spa-shootings-returns-home-from-hospital/article_df6da782-9e3e-11eb-b6c4-fb430e9b6167.html|title=Sole survivor of the metro Atlanta spa shootings returns home from hospital|publisher=WGCL-TV|last=Edney|first=Brittany|date=April 15, 2021|access-date=April 17, 2021|archive-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418030256/https://www.cbs46.com/news/sole-survivor-of-the-metro-atlanta-spa-shootings-returns-home-from-hospital/article_df6da782-9e3e-11eb-b6c4-fb430e9b6167.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/elcias-hernandez-ortiz-survives-spa-shootings-speaks-encounter/85-3ec4123f-2344-4e13-8e1d-d119932bfd01|title=Only survivor of metro Atlanta spa shootings describes coming face-to-face with gunman|publisher=WXIA-TV|last=Her|first=Chenue|date=April 19, 2021|access-date=April 20, 2021}}
The first 9-1-1 calls reporting the shooting to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office were made at 4:54{{Nbsp}}p.m. Police arrived within minutes of Long leaving.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/03/19/surveillance-video-atlanta-shooting/ |title=Surveillance video shows suspect entered first spa more than an hour before shooting |date=March 19, 2021 |last1=Samuels |first1=Elyse |last2=Craig |first2=Tim |last3=Bella |first3=Timothy |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 19, 2021 |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320173652/https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2021/03/19/surveillance-video-atlanta-shooting/ |url-status=live }} There, they found two people fatally shot and three others wounded in different rooms down a hallway; two of the wounded later died at a hospital.{{cite news |last1=Brumback |first1=Kate |last2=Bynum |first2=Russ |date=March 22, 2021 |title=Spa witness, police reports detail carnage in Georgia |url=https://apnews.com/article/spas-massage-business-shootings-shootings-georgia-atlanta-74aa4a3b1a18d71ab7dc1948a8d4bf1e |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324023757/https://apnews.com/article/spas-massage-business-shootings-shootings-georgia-atlanta-74aa4a3b1a18d71ab7dc1948a8d4bf1e |archive-date=March 24, 2021 |access-date=March 23, 2021 |publisher=Associated Press}}{{cite news|last1=Hollis|first1=Henri|last2=Abusaid|first2=Shaddi|last3=Stevens|first3=Alexis|title='A crime against us all': Atlanta mayor condemns deadly spa shooting spree|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-multiple-shootings-shut-down-busy-woodstock-highway/OLE23RVIO5BE3ELWBZAA6GVSSA/|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=March 16, 2021|access-date=August 16, 2022|archivedate=June 22, 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220622162015/https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-multiple-shootings-shut-down-busy-woodstock-highway/OLE23RVIO5BE3ELWBZAA6GVSSA/}} Police found a male customer, whose wife and fellow customer were fatally shot, sitting on a bed in another room, scared and confused, and detained him for four hours.{{Cite news|last1=Rojas|first1=Rick|last2=McDonnell Nieto del Rio|first2=Giulia|date=March 21, 2021|title=After Spa Attacks, Officers Handcuffed Victim's Anguished Husband for Four Hours|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/us/atlanta-spa-attacks-mario-gonzalez.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 22, 2021|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322000328/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/21/us/atlanta-spa-attacks-mario-gonzalez.html}}
== Piedmont Road shootings ==
File:Aromatherapy and Gold Spas (Piedmont Road, Atlanta).jpg
At 5:47{{Nbsp}}p.m.{{Nbsp}}EDT, the APD responded to reports of a robbery at Gold Massage Spa{{Cite news|last1=Vera|first1=Amir|first2=Jason|last2=Hanna|title=Here's what we know about the metro Atlanta spa shootings that left 8 dead|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/16/us/metro-atlanta-spa-shootings-what-we-know/index.html|date=March 16, 2021|access-date=March 20, 2021|publisher=CNN|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319201409/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/16/us/metro-atlanta-spa-shootings-what-we-know/index.html|url-status=live}} on Piedmont Road in northeast Atlanta, about {{convert|30|mi|km}} from the first shooting scene. There, they found three women dead from gunshot wounds. While Atlanta police were at Gold Spa, they received reports of another shooting across the street at Aromatherapy Spa, where they discovered another woman shot and killed.{{cite news |last1=Lynch |first1=Jamiel |last2=Almasy |first2=Steve |title=8 killed in shootings at 3 metro Atlanta spas. Police have 1 suspect in custody |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/16/us/metro-atlanta-shootings/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=March 16, 2021 |access-date=March 16, 2021 |archive-date=March 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319053943/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/16/us/metro-atlanta-shootings/index.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|title=Spa killing spree leaves 8 dead in metro Atlanta; suspect captured|url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/spa-killings-atlanta-cherokee/85-d8b55ae6-d3e5-44d2-975c-6334bcd27633|date=March 16, 2021|access-date=March 16, 2021|publisher=WXIA-TV|agency=Associated Press|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210317103732/https://www.11alive.com/article/news/crime/spa-killings-atlanta-cherokee/85-d8b55ae6-d3e5-44d2-975c-6334bcd27633|archive-date=March 17, 2021|url-status=live}} Three of the four victims had been shot in the head.{{Cite web |author=JEFF AMY and KATE BRUMBACK|agency=Associated Press |date=2021-03-19 |title=Spa shooting victims ID'd as Biden, Harris head to Atlanta |url=https://kutv.com/news/nation-world/spa-shooting-victims-idd-as-biden-harris-head-to-atlanta |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=KUTV |language=en}}
Two Gold Massage Spa employees who survived the shooting reported hearing ticking sounds while in a break room, which turned out to be gunfire. They hid in a lounge, using items to take cover, and were shot at but not injured. According to them, the gunman did not speak or make any other sounds during the shooting, and he locked both the front and back doors of the spa at some point.{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/he-shot-everyone-he-saw-atlanta-spa-workers-recount-horrors-n1262928|title=He shot at 'everyone he saw': Atlanta spa workers recount horrors of shooting|publisher=NBC News|last=Park|first=Hanna|date=April 2, 2021|access-date=April 12, 2021|archive-date=April 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412004842/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/he-shot-everyone-he-saw-atlanta-spa-workers-recount-horrors-n1262928|url-status=live}} According to a report from national Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo, a nearby Korean restaurant told how an unidentified Gold Massage Spa employee who escaped there from the store during the shooting stated that the shooter said, "I'm going to kill all Asians,"{{Cite news|last=Hwang|first=Ji-yoon|date=March 17, 2021|title=애틀랜타 총격 범인, 아시아인 다 죽이겠다 말해|work=Chosun Ilbo|url=https://www.chosun.com/international/us/2021/03/17/XSDXYLMAQZCC5JWMQ4HGRZGOG4/|trans-title=Atlanta shooter tells me I'm going to kill all Asians|url-status=live|access-date=March 17, 2021|language=ko|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319120720/https://www.chosun.com/international/us/2021/03/17/XSDXYLMAQZCC5JWMQ4HGRZGOG4/}}{{cite news|first=Russell|last=Falcon|title=Atlanta shootings put spotlight on surging anti-Asian sentiment in America|date=March 17, 2021|publisher=KXAN-TV|url=https://www.kxan.com/news/atlanta-shootings-put-spotlight-on-surging-anti-asian-sentiment-in-america/|access-date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319183609/https://www.kxan.com/news/atlanta-shootings-put-spotlight-on-surging-anti-asian-sentiment-in-america/|url-status=live}} although in a later Rolling Stone interview a taxi driver who had talked to a local business manager stated it was a police officer who had told the manager this. According to an eyewitness, the attacker shot the worker who opened the door of Aromatherapy Spa for him and fled without entering the interior.{{Cite news|last1=Jang|first1=Yeol|last2=Jang|first2=Soo Ah|date=March 17, 2021|title=총격범 또다른 범행 위해 플로리다 향해|trans-title=The shooter goes to Florida for another crime|work=Korea Daily|url=http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=9180828|url-status=live|access-date=March 19, 2021|language=ko|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318144606/http://www.koreadaily.com/news/read.asp?art_id=9180828}} The prosecutor believed the suspect's gun malfunctioned after shooting the employee at Aromatherapy Spa which prevented additional deaths.
According to the APD, they noticed the similarities between the Piedmont Road and Cherokee County shootings and subsequently dispatched officers to patrol similar businesses in the area.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/03/16/7-dead-3-shootings-massage-parlors-atlanta-area/4726558001/|title=8 dead in 3 shootings at massage parlors in Georgia; police investigating motive; suspect arrested|work=USA Today|last=Culver|first=Jordan|date=March 16, 2021|access-date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319114024/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/03/16/7-dead-3-shootings-massage-parlors-atlanta-area/4726558001/|url-status=live}} The Federal Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist in the investigation.{{cite news|last1=Pereira|first1=Ivan|last2=Foster|first2=Matt|last3=Shapiro|first3=Emily|date=March 17, 2021|title=Georgia spa murders: Suspect charged with 8 counts of murder|publisher=ABC News|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/dead-shootings-georgia-spas-suspect-custody/story?id=76499529|url-status=live|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319025551/https://abcnews.go.com/US/dead-shootings-georgia-spas-suspect-custody/story?id=76499529}}
= Arrest =
File:Georgia I75sb Exit 92 1 mile.JPG, just south of Cordele]]
After the first shooting, Cherokee County police released surveillance footage to the public and were contacted by Long's parents, who recognized him. While they were being interviewed, the APD was responding to the second and third shootings in Atlanta. His parents informed deputies that Long's Hyundai Tucson was equipped with a tracking device. Using surveillance footage of his vehicle at both crime scenes along with the car's tracker, police were able to ascertain his location.{{Cite news|last1=Boone|first1=Christian|last2=Sharpe|first2=Joshua|date=March 17, 2021|title=Spa shooting suspect's parents turned him in|work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|url=https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/spa-shooting-suspects-parents-helped-authorities-catch-him/MOL7IHLAIFBNXOC5VNCENBCYVU/|url-status=live|access-date=March 17, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318233519/https://www.ajc.com/news/crime/spa-shooting-suspects-parents-helped-authorities-catch-him/MOL7IHLAIFBNXOC5VNCENBCYVU/}}{{Cite news|date=March 17, 2021|title=What Happened in the Atlanta Spa Shootings and Who Is Robert Aaron Long?|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-is-robert-aaron-long-atlanta-shooting-suspect-11615995416|url-access=subscription|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210317194938/https://www.wsj.com/articles/who-is-robert-aaron-long-atlanta-shooting-suspect-11615995416|archive-date=March 17, 2021|url-status=live}}
At around 8:30{{Nbsp}}p.m., roughly 3.5 hours after the shootings, Long was spotted by police in Crisp County, about {{convert|150|mi|km}} south of Atlanta. Georgia State Patrol officers followed him south on Interstate 75 until a location just south of Cordele, where they used a PIT maneuver to stop his vehicle and took him into custody.{{Cite news|last=Monk|first=Krista|date=March 16, 2021|title=Suspect wanted in deadly Atlanta-area shootings caught in Crisp Co.|url=https://www.walb.com/2021/03/17/suspect-wanted-deadly-atlanta-area-shootings-caught-crisp-co/|url-status=live|access-date=March 16, 2021|publisher=WALB|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319062207/https://www.walb.com/2021/03/17/suspect-wanted-deadly-atlanta-area-shootings-caught-crisp-co/}} Long was on his way to Florida when he was apprehended.{{Cite news|last=Sundby|first=Alex|title=Suspect in deadly spa shootings may have "sexual addiction," sheriff says|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/atlanta-shooting-spas-police-press-conference-watch-live-stream-today-2021-03-17/|url-status=live|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=March 17, 2021|publisher=CBS News|archive-date=March 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317165333/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/atlanta-shooting-spas-police-press-conference-watch-live-stream-today-2021-03-17/}}
Long was initially arrested in connection to the Cherokee County shooting; police later identified him as a suspect in the Piedmont Road shootings as well.{{cite news|last=Brumback|first=Kate|date=March 16, 2021|title=Georgia massage parlor shootings leave 8 dead; man captured|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/georgia-us-news-atlanta-shootings-9e39706c523c733a6d83d9baf4866154|access-date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318221619/https://apnews.com/article/georgia-us-news-atlanta-shootings-9e39706c523c733a6d83d9baf4866154|url-status=live}} Police found a 9mm handgun in his car.
Victims
The shooter killed seven women and one man. One man was wounded. Six died at the scene, one en route to a hospital, and one in treatment.{{cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/seven-killed-in-shootings-at-atlanta-spas|title=Massage Parlor Massacres Suspect Said He Loved Guns & God|work=The Daily Beast|last1=Montgomery|first1=Blake|last2=Cruz|first2=Chamian|last3=Ibrahim|first3=Noor|last4=Olding|first4=Rachel|date=March 16, 2021|access-date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=May 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520045943/https://www.thedailybeast.com/seven-killed-in-shootings-at-atlanta-spas|url-status=live}} Six victims, four at Piedmont Road and two at Cherokee County, were women of Asian descent. The others were a white woman and a white man,{{Cite news|last1=Fausset|first1=Richard|last2=Vigdor|first2=Neil|date=March 16, 2021|title=8 People Killed in Atlanta-Area Massage Parlor Shootings|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/us/atlanta-shootings-massage-parlor.html|access-date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=March 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320014458/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/us/atlanta-shootings-massage-parlor.html|url-status=live}} and the survivor is a Hispanic man from Guatemala.{{Cite news|last=Villegas|first=Paulina|title=Survivor of Atlanta spa shootings called wife moments after the rampage: 'I have been shot!'|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/17/elcias-hernandez-ortiz-atlanta-shooting/|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=April 12, 2021|archive-date=September 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925154043/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/17/elcias-hernandez-ortiz-atlanta-shooting/|url-status=live}} The South Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry reported that four of the dead were of Korean ethnicity, and one was a South Korean citizen.{{Cite news|last1=Martin|first1=Timothy W.|last2=Yoon|first2=Dasyl|date=March 21, 2021|title=Atlanta Spa Shootings Reverberate Across South Korea, Long a U.S. Ally|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/atlanta-spa-shootings-reverberate-across-south-korea-long-a-u-s-ally-11616348282|url-access=subscription|access-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210321183726/https://www.wsj.com/articles/atlanta-spa-shootings-reverberate-across-south-korea-long-a-u-s-ally-11616348282|archive-date=March 21, 2021|url-status=live}}
Police released the names of the eight deceased victims on March 19. The victims at Young's Asian Massage were Delaina Ashley Yaun González, 33; Xiaojie Tan ({{lang-zh|first=s|s=谭晓洁|p=Tán Xiǎojié}}), 49; Daoyou Feng ({{lang-zh|first=s|s=冯道有|p=Féng Dàoyǒu}}), 44; and Paul Andre Michels, 54. The victims at the Gold Spa were Hyun Jung Grant ({{Korean|hangul=김현정|hanja=金賢廷}}), 51; Suncha Kim ({{Korean|hangul=김선자|hanja=金宣子}}), 69; and Soon Chung Park ({{Korean|hangul=박순청|hanja=朴純請}}), 74. The victim at Aromatherapy Spa was Yong Ae Yue ({{Korean|hangul=유영애|hanja=柳英愛}}), 63.{{Cite news |last1=Kim |first1=Juliana |last2=Knoll |first2=Corina |last3=Robertson |first3=Campbell |date=March 20, 2021 |title='All I Can Think About Is Her': Families Grieve for Victims of Atlanta Attacks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/us/atlanta-shooting-victims-spa.html |access-date=April 26, 2021 |work=The New York Times |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426032301/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/us/atlanta-shooting-victims-spa.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|date=March 19, 2021|title=Atlanta spa shootings: Who are the victims?|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56446771|url-status=live|access-date=March 20, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319234009/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56446771}}{{Cite news|last1=Hawkins|first1=Derek|last2=Craig|first2=Tim|last3=Shavin|first3=Mark|last4=Villegas|first4=Paulina|last5=Kornfield|first5=Meryl|date=March 20, 2021|title=What we know about the victims of the Atlanta shootings|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/20/atlanta-shooting-victims/|url-status=live|access-date=March 20, 2021|archive-date=March 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321001257/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/20/atlanta-shooting-victims/}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/19/atlanta-spa-shootings-victims-named|title=Authorities name all eight victims in Atlanta spa shootings|work=The Guardian|date=March 19, 2021|access-date=March 20, 2021|archive-date=March 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320014822/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/19/atlanta-spa-shootings-victims-named|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Iwataki |first=Miya |date=2021-04-03 |title=EAST WIND: The Narrative — A Rant with Haiku |url=http://rafu.com/2021/04/east-wind-the-narrative-a-rant-with-haiku/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |website=Rafu Shimpo |language=en-US}}{{Cite magazine |date=2021-03-19 |title=These Are the Victims of the Atlanta Shootings |url=https://time.com/5948259/atlanta-shooting-victims/ |access-date=2024-03-20 |magazine=TIME |language=en}}
Perpetrator
The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock. He was born on April 6, 1999,{{cite magazine |last1=Jeong |first1=May |title=How the Atlanta Spa Shootings—the Victims, the Survivors—Tell a Story of America |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/03/how-the-atlanta-spa-shootings-tell-a-story-of-america |access-date=1 May 2023 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=14 March 2022 |archive-date=March 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316171427/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/03/how-the-atlanta-spa-shootings-tell-a-story-of-america |url-status=live }} in Woodstock, Georgia, and was raised in a conservative community. He graduated from Sequoyah High School in the spring of 2017. From fall 2017 to fall 2018, Long was enrolled at the Cumming campus of the University of North Georgia, but he did not earn a degree. Long was a hunter and was heavily involved in his Southern Baptist congregation.{{cite news|date=March 17, 2021|title=Christian leaders wrestle with Atlanta shooting suspect's Southern Baptist ties|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/17/atlanta-shooting-southern-baptist-pastors-wrestle/|last1=Pulliam|first1=Sarah Pulliam|last2=Armus|first2=Teo|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318050806/https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/17/atlanta-shooting-southern-baptist-pastors-wrestle/|url-status=live}} Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said Long did not have any prior interactions with law enforcement.{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/motive-still-disputed-some-point-shooting-suspect-s-religion-shame-n1261399|title=With motive still disputed, some point to shooting suspect's religion, shame|publisher=NBC News|last1=Walters|first1=Shamar|last2=Siemaszko|first2=Corky|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318200309/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/motive-still-disputed-some-point-shooting-suspect-s-religion-shame-n1261399|url-status=live}}
Long spent time in HopeQuest, an evangelical treatment facility located near Acworth and down the road from the first spa that he attacked. He was a patient at the treatment center for what he described as "sex addiction".{{cite news|title=Atlanta shooting suspect was a patient at evangelical treatment center close to first targeted spa|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/19/robert-aaron-long-evangelical-treatment-facility-sex-addiction/|newspaper=The Washington Post|last1=Krohn|first1=Jonathan|last2=Pulliam|first2=Sarah Pulliam|date=March 19, 2021|access-date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=May 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529065236/https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/19/robert-aaron-long-evangelical-treatment-facility-sex-addiction/|url-status=live}} He claimed to be "tortured" by his addiction to sex since he was "deeply religious", according to his halfway house roommate.{{cite news|last1=Fausset|first1=Richard|last2=Bogel-Burroughs|first2=Nicholas|last3=Graham|first3=Ruth|last4=Healy|first4=Jack|date=March 18, 2021|title=Accused Gunman Had Visited Massage Parlors He Targeted, Police Say|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/us/robert-aaron-long-atlanta-spa-shooting.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319003218/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/us/robert-aaron-long-atlanta-spa-shooting.html}} His roommate also said that, several times during his stay at the halfway house, Long said that he had "relapsed" and gone to massage parlors to visit sex workers. His parents had kicked him out of their house the night before the shooting due to concerns about his sex addiction, and said he watched internet pornography several hours each day. A report to police said that he was "emotional" after being evicted from his parents' house.{{cite news|last1=Hanna|first1=Jason|last2=Watts|first2=Amanda|last3=Holcombe|first3=Madeline|title=Suspect in Atlanta-area spa shootings might have intended more shootings in Florida, mayor says|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/metro-atlanta-shootings-wednesday/index.html|access-date=March 18, 2021|publisher=CNN|date=March 17, 2021|archive-date=March 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317215614/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/metro-atlanta-shootings-wednesday/index.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/robert-aaron-long-suspected-shooter/index.html|title=What we know about Robert Aaron Long, the suspect in Atlanta spa shootings|publisher=CNN|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Eliott C.|last2=Tolan|first2=Casey|last3=Watts|first3=Amanda|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322043045/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/robert-aaron-long-suspected-shooter/index.html|url-status=live}}
= Motive =
According to the police, Long described his actions as being the result of a sex addiction that conflicted with his religious beliefs.{{cite news|last1=Whitehurst|first1=Lindsay|last2=Price|first2=Michelle L.|date=March 18, 2021|title=Stigmas on race, gender and sex overlap in Atlanta slayings|publisher=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/us-news-race-and-ethnicity-shootings-las-vegas-mass-shooting-georgia-58690b8fd13adc6e76ef2b306fd2c58f|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=July 5, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705110405/https://apnews.com/article/us-news-race-and-ethnicity-shootings-las-vegas-mass-shooting-georgia-58690b8fd13adc6e76ef2b306fd2c58f|url-status=live}} Long had been a customer at two of the massage parlors, and saw them as sources of sexual temptation. Police records show that two of the massage parlors had been the site of 10 prostitution arrests, the latest of which took place in 2013.{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-shootings-coronavirus-pandemic-spas-atlanta-6d5e7ab4aa19d82858fb750aa1b3cba1|title=Attacked spas had been targeted by prostitution stings|date=March 20, 2021|publisher=Associated Press|access-date=March 20, 2021|last1=Brumback|first1=Kate|last2=Collins|first2=Jeffrey|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319205336/https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-shootings-coronavirus-pandemic-spas-atlanta-6d5e7ab4aa19d82858fb750aa1b3cba1|url-status=live}} All three targeted spas appeared on an online guide to brothels.{{cite news |last1=Jeffrey Collins & Kate Brumback |title=Attacked spas had been targeted by prostitution stings |url=https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/mar/22/attacked-spas-had-been-targeted-by-2/ |access-date=April 4, 2021 |work=Columbia Basin Herald |date=March 22, 2021 |quote=All three businesses where people were fatally shot Tuesday have detailed recent reviews on an online site that leads users to places that provide sexual services. |archive-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017043014/https://columbiabasinherald.com/news/2021/mar/22/attacked-spas-had-been-targeted-by-2/ |url-status=live }} Long claims to have initially thought about killing himself but instead decided to target the businesses to "help" others dealing with sex addiction. According to the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department, Long wanted to "eliminate the temptation" by targeting spas.{{Cite news|last=Graziosi|first=Graig|date=March 17, 2021|title=Robert Aaron Long: Police claim Georgia suspect said 'bad day' and sex addiction led to massage parlour murders|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/robert-aaron-long-georgia-shooting-sexual-racism-b1818532.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317150144/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/robert-aaron-long-georgia-shooting-sexual-racism-b1818532.html |archive-date=2021-03-17 |url-access=limited|url-status=live|work=The Independent|access-date=March 18, 2021}}
He had been an active member of Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton, Georgia.{{Cite news|first1=Sarah Pulliam|last1=Bail|first2=Teo|last2=Armus|date=March 17, 2021|title=Christian leaders wrestle with Atlanta shooting suspect's Southern Baptist ties|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/17/atlanta-shooting-southern-baptist-pastors-wrestle/|access-date=September 4, 2021|archive-date=May 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514202120/https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/17/atlanta-shooting-southern-baptist-pastors-wrestle/|url-status=live}} The church took down its Facebook site, which included photos that included Long, after the shooting.
Ruth Graham, a national religion correspondent of The New York Times, wrote that Long "seemed to have a fixation on sexual temptation, one that can lead to despair among people who believe they are failing to follow the ideal of refraining from sex and even lust outside heterosexual marriage."{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/20/us/evangelical-sex-addiction-atlanta-suspect.html |title=Atlanta Suspect's Fixation on Sex Is Familiar Thorn for Evangelicals |date=March 20, 2021 |last=Graham |first=Ruth |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320145050/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/20/us/evangelical-sex-addiction-atlanta-suspect.html |url-status=live }}
According to Samuel Perry, a professor of sociology and author of three books on the modern evangelical church, the church's confusing sex rhetoric can lead to desperation over perceived sex addiction and a belief that one must take extreme measures to stop it.{{cite news|first=Belinda|last=Luscombe|title=What an Expert on Evangelicals and Sex Says About the Atlanta Shooter's Claim He Had a Sex Addiction|date=March 20, 2021|magazine=Time|url=https://time.com/5948362/atlanta-shootings-sex-addiction/|access-date=March 22, 2021|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322000536/https://time.com/5948362/atlanta-shootings-sex-addiction/|url-status=live}}
The American Psychological Association does not have sex addiction as a diagnosis in the DSM-5. The World Health Organization includes "excessive sexual drive" as a diagnosis (code F52.7) in the latest version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), but as a compulsive behavior or impulse control disorder rather than an addiction.{{cite web|url=http://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/F01-F99/F50-F59/F52-/F52.8|title=2017/18 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code F52.8: Other sexual dysfunction not due to a substance or known physiological condition|website=Icd10data.com|access-date=28 December 2017|archive-date=March 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320140442/http://www.icd10data.com/ICD10CM/Codes/F01-F99/F50-F59/F52-/F52.8|url-status=live}} Psychologist David J. Ley and neuroscientist Nicole Prause noted significant differences between sex addiction and other types of addiction. Psychotherapist Robert Weiss, who diagnoses people with sexual addiction, expressed doubt in the diagnosis for Long because sex addicts are typically nonviolent.{{Cite news|last=Armus|first=Teo|date=March 18, 2021|title=The Atlanta suspect isn't the first to blame 'sex addiction' for heinous crimes. But scientists are dubious.|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/18/sex-addiction-atlanta-shooting-long/|url-status=live|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319000343/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/18/sex-addiction-atlanta-shooting-long/}}
Some noted the ethnicity of six of the victims, who were Asian women, amidst an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic, or characterized the shooting as a hate crime.{{cite news|last=Grundy|first=Saida|date=March 25, 2021|title=Calling the Atlanta Shootings a Hate Crime Isn't Nearly Enough|website=The Atlantic|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/03/calling-the-atlanta-shootings-a-hate-crime-isnt-enough/618385/|access-date=March 25, 2021|archive-date=March 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325115224/https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/03/calling-the-atlanta-shootings-a-hate-crime-isnt-enough/618385/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Custodio|first=Jonathan|date=March 17, 2021|title=Yang decries Georgia shooting, calls for more funding for hate-crime task force|work=Politico|url=https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2021/03/17/yang-decries-georgia-shooting-calls-for-more-funding-for-hate-crime-task-force-1368599|url-status=live|access-date=March 17, 2021|archive-date=March 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317171959/https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2021/03/17/yang-decries-georgia-shooting-calls-for-more-funding-for-hate-crime-task-force-1368599}}{{cite news|last1=Neumann|first1=Sean|date=17 March 2021|title='Hate Is Deadly': Lawmakers Speak Out After Ga. Spree Shooting Kills 6 Asian Women|work=People|url=https://people.com/politics/lawmakers-speak-out-after-georgia-spree-shooting-kills-asian-women/|access-date=17 March 2021|archive-date=March 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317192643/https://people.com/politics/lawmakers-speak-out-after-georgia-spree-shooting-kills-asian-women/|url-status=live}} While some experts have claimed that race cannot be ruled out as a motive because of the fetishization of Asian women in the U.S.,{{cite news|first=Kimmy|last=Yam|title=Racism, sexism must be considered in Atlanta case involving killing of six Asian women, experts say|date=March 18, 2021|website=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/racism-sexism-must-be-considered-atlanta-case-involving-killing-six-n1261347|access-date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319002000/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/racism-sexism-must-be-considered-atlanta-case-involving-killing-six-n1261347|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Chang |first1=Ailsa |author1-link=Ailsa Chang |title=For Asian American Women, Misogyny And Racism Are Inseparable, Sociologist Says |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/19/979336512/for-asian-american-women-misogyny-and-racism-are-inseparable-sociologist-says |publisher=NPR |access-date=March 13, 2021 |date=March 19, 2021 |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320011859/https://www.npr.org/2021/03/19/979336512/for-asian-american-women-misogyny-and-racism-are-inseparable-sociologist-says |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last1=Kaur |first1=Harmeet |title=Fetishized, sexualized and marginalized, Asian women are uniquely vulnerable to violence |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/asian-women-misogyny-spa-shootings-trnd/index.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=March 23, 2021 |date=March 18, 2021 |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320182907/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/asian-women-misogyny-spa-shootings-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }} others have pointed out that the perpetrator was instead targeting sex workers at establishments he had frequented in the past, and Long later stated that his actions were not racially motivated.{{r|ajc.parents}}{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/us/metro-atlanta-shootings-thursday/index.html|title=Victims of the spa shootings highlight the vulnerability of working-class Asian women as more Asian Americans get attacked|publisher=CNN|last2=Yan|first2=Holly|last1=Holcombe|first1=Madeline|last3=Vera|first3=Amir|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318092906/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/us/metro-atlanta-shootings-thursday/index.html|url-status=live}} However, according to a report from national Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo, a nearby Korean restaurant told how an unidentified Gold Massage Spa employee who escaped there from the store during the shooting stated that the shooter said, "I'm going to kill all Asians."
= Legal proceedings =
On March 17, Long was charged with eight counts of murder, split evenly between the shooting in Cherokee County and the shootings in Atlanta, and one count of aggravated assault in Cherokee County.{{Cite news|last=Fieldstadt|first=Elisha|date=March 17, 2021|title=Suspect in deadly Atlanta-area spa shootings charged with 8 counts of murder|publisher=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspect-deadly-atlanta-area-spa-shootings-says-he-was-motivated-n1261299|url-status=live|access-date=March 21, 2021|archive-date=March 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321013141/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/suspect-deadly-atlanta-area-spa-shootings-says-he-was-motivated-n1261299}} He confessed to the killings while in custody. On May 11, Long received a 19-count indictment by a Fulton County grand jury on charges including murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and domestic terrorism.{{cite news |last1=Bogel-Burroughs |first1=Nicholas |title=Atlanta Spa Shootings Were Hate Crimes, Prosecutor Says |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/us/atlanta-spa-shootings-hate-crimes.html |access-date=May 12, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=May 11, 2021 |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512002113/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/11/us/atlanta-spa-shootings-hate-crimes.html |url-status=live }} During the press conference, district attorney Fani Willis shared her plans to seek death penalty and hate crime enhancements if he is convicted of murder. Later that day, he received a 23-count indictment on charges of malice murder, felony murder, attempt to commit murder, and aggravated assault from a grand jury in Cherokee County, Georgia.{{cite news |last1=Brumback |first1=Kate |title=Prosecutor plans to seek death penalty in spa shootings |url=https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-spas-massage-business-shootings-shootings-8b4fa8d0217180eef6f02111d5354345 |publisher=Associated Press |date=May 11, 2021 |access-date=12 May 2021 |archive-date=May 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512012348/https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-spas-massage-business-shootings-shootings-8b4fa8d0217180eef6f02111d5354345 |url-status=live }}
On July 27, Long pleaded guilty to the Cherokee County charges and was sentenced to life without parole. Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said that investigators had found no evidence of racial bias in the shootings.{{cite news |last1=Brumback |first1=Kate |title=Man pleads guilty to 4 Asian spa killings, sentenced to life |url=https://apnews.com/article/shootings-georgia-massage-business-shootings-4c9d611102b25b49b8bfee276278c472 |publisher=Associated Press |date=July 27, 2021 |access-date=July 27, 2021 |archive-date=July 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727140754/https://apnews.com/article/shootings-georgia-massage-business-shootings-4c9d611102b25b49b8bfee276278c472 |url-status=live }} On August 30, state prosecutors announced Willis had filed court papers seeking the death penalty against Long for the Fulton County charges and designating the Piedmont Road shootings as a hate crime based on race and gender.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/accused-georgia-spa-shooter-face-judge-four-more-murder-counts-2021-08-30/|title=Georgia prosecutor confirms plan to seek death penalty in Atlanta spa shootings|publisher=Reuters|last=Mckay|first=Rich|date=August 30, 2021|access-date=August 30, 2021|archive-date=August 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210830142428/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/accused-georgia-spa-shooter-face-judge-four-more-murder-counts-2021-08-30/|url-status=live}} On September 28, Long pleaded not guilty to the Fulton County charges.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/accused-georgia-spa-shooter-face-judge-four-more-murder-charges-2021-09-28/|title=Accused Georgia spa shooter pleads not guilty to four murder charges|publisher=Reuters|last=Mckay|first=Rich|date=September 28, 2021|access-date=September 28, 2021|archive-date=September 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928102405/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/accused-georgia-spa-shooter-face-judge-four-more-murder-charges-2021-09-28/|url-status=live}}
Reactions
= Government =
File:President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with Asian American leaders in Atlanta.jpg, Vice President Kamala Harris, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, State Senator Michelle Au, and Asian American community leaders meeting in Atlanta on March 19]]
On March 18, President Joe Biden ordered all U.S. flags at the White House, on other federal grounds, at military installations, on naval vessels, and at U.S. diplomatic missions to be flown at half-mast until sunset on March 22 to respect the victims of the shooting.{{Cite news|last=Quinn|first=Melissa|date=March 18, 2021|title=Biden orders flags at half-staff to honor victims of Atlanta-area spa shootings|publisher=CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/atlanta-shootings-joe-biden-flags-half-staff/|url-status=live|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318165003/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/atlanta-shootings-joe-biden-flags-half-staff/}}{{Cite news|date=March 19, 2021|title=President Biden orders five-day mourning period for victims of Atlanta shootings|publisher=Yonhap News Agency|url=https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210319000251325|url-status=live|access-date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318185415/https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20210319000251325}} He and Vice President Kamala Harris subsequently met with local Asian American community leaders on March 19 to discuss the shootings.{{Cite news|last=Sullivan|first=Kate|date=March 19, 2021|title=Biden condemns 'skyrocketing' hate crimes against Asian Americans in wake of deadly shooting|publisher=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/politics/biden-harris-atlanta/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 20, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319230842/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/19/politics/biden-harris-atlanta/index.html}} After the meeting, he gave a speech condemning rising hate crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and declared his support for the proposed COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which he claimed would facilitate tackling anti-Asian hate crimes.
South Korean foreign minister Chung Eui-yong and national defense minister Suh Wook held a joint press conference in Seoul on March 19 with their U.S. counterparts Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin,{{Cite news|last=Seligman|first=Lara|title=In South Korea, top Biden officials condemn 'horrific' Atlanta attack|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/18/in-south-korea-top-biden-officials-condemn-horrific-atlanta-attack-476935|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210319091027/https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/18/in-south-korea-top-biden-officials-condemn-horrific-atlanta-attack-476935|archive-date=March 19, 2021|work=Politico|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 19, 2021|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|title=Six Asian women among eight shot dead in US city of Atlanta|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/17/eight-killed-atlanta-area-spa-shootings|url-status=live|archive-url=https://archive.today/20210319050658/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/17/eight-killed-atlanta-area-spa-shootings|archive-date=March 19, 2021|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=March 19, 2021|publisher=Al Jazeera}}{{Cite news|date=March 18, 2021|title=U.S. calls on China to play 'critical' role in nuke talks|url=https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/03/18/national/diplomacy/Antony-Blinken-Lloyd-Austin-Moon-Jaein/20210318182000422.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 19, 2021|work=Korea JoongAng Daily|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318122548/https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2021/03/18/national/diplomacy/Antony-Blinken-Lloyd-Austin-Moon-Jaein/20210318182000422.html}} and the South Korean foreign ministry released a statement the following day addressing the shooting and the United States government's anti-hate crime efforts.
On April 14, following the shootings and the overall rise in anti-Asian hate crimes, the U.S. Senate voted 92–6 to advance the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would allow the U.S. Justice Department to review hate crimes related to COVID-19 and establish an online database.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/politics/anti-asian-hate-crimes-senate-vote/index.html|title=Senate advances bill to combat surge of anti-Asian hate crimes|publisher=CNN|last=Rogers|first=Alex|date=April 14, 2021|access-date=April 14, 2021|archive-date=April 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416022341/https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/14/politics/anti-asian-hate-crimes-senate-vote/index.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=117&session=1&vote=00151|title=On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture Re: Motion to Proceed to S. 937)|publisher=United States Senate|date=April 14, 2021|access-date=April 14, 2021|archive-date=April 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414220446/https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=117&session=1&vote=00151|url-status=live}} On April 22, the Senate voted 94–1 to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act with bipartisan changes; Josh Hawley of Missouri was the only senator to vote in opposition.{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/asian-american-hate-crime-senate/2021/04/22/4c7755f0-a36a-11eb-85fc-06664ff4489d_story.html |title=Bill to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans passes Senate with bipartisan support |date=April 22, 2021 |last=Kane |first=Paul |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-date=April 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422214447/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/asian-american-hate-crime-senate/2021/04/22/4c7755f0-a36a-11eb-85fc-06664ff4489d_story.html |url-status=live }} It then passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a 364–62 vote on May 18{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/05/18/997847571/congress-passes-bill-to-counter-the-rise-in-anti-asian-hate-crimes|title=Congress Passes Bill To Counter The Rise In Anti-Asian Hate Crimes|publisher=NPR|last=Sprunt|first=Barbara|date=May 18, 2021|access-date=June 9, 2021|archive-date=June 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608143241/https://www.npr.org/2021/05/18/997847571/congress-passes-bill-to-counter-the-rise-in-anti-asian-hate-crimes|url-status=live}} and was signed into law by Biden on May 20.{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/05/20/998599775/biden-to-sign-the-covid-19-hate-crimes-bill-as-anti-asian-american-attacks-rise|title=Here's What The New Hate Crimes Law Aims To Do As Attacks On Asian Americans Rise|publisher=NPR|last=Sprunt|first=Barbara|date=May 20, 2021|access-date=June 9, 2021|archive-date=May 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522160847/https://www.npr.org/2021/05/20/998599775/biden-to-sign-the-covid-19-hate-crimes-bill-as-anti-asian-american-attacks-rise|url-status=live}}
= Anti-Asian sentiment =
Sociologist Nancy Wang Yuen characterized the event as "part of a nationwide pattern of Asian [women] being disproportionately targeted in hate incidents", stating that the events took place in the context of an "intersection of racism and sexism" against Asian women, citing the Page Act of 1875, and the portrayal of Asian women as prostitutes in media such as the movie Full Metal Jacket and the stage play Miss Saigon as examples.{{Cite news|last=Wang Yuen|first=Nancy|author-link=Nancy Wang Yuen|date=March 18, 2021|title=Atlanta spa shooting suspect's 'bad day' defense, and America's sexualized racism problem|publisher=NBC News|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/atlanta-spa-shooting-suspect-s-bad-day-defense-america-s-ncna1261362|url-status=live|access-date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318233512/https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/atlanta-spa-shooting-suspect-s-bad-day-defense-america-s-ncna1261362}}
According to Stop Asian Hate, nearly 11,000 attacks against the Asian American community were reported just on the mere span from March 2020 to December 2021.{{cite news |last=Horse |first=Aggie |year=2021 |title=Stop AAPI Hate National Report |publisher=SAH |publication-place=USA |url=https://stopaapihate.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/22-SAH-NationalReport-3.1.22-v9.pdf |access-date=July 20, 2022 |archive-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729182513/https://stopaapihate.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/22-SAH-NationalReport-3.1.22-v9.pdf |url-status=live }} The FBI has also discovered an upsurge in anti-Asian hate crimes since 2019.{{cite news|last=Venkatram|first=Sakshi|year=2021|title=Asian Hate Crimes rose 73% last year, uodated FBI data says|publisher=NBC|publication-place=USA|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/anti-asian-hate-crimes-rose-73-last-year-updated-fbi-data-says-rcna3741|access-date=July 20, 2022|archive-date=August 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809040444/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/anti-asian-hate-crimes-rose-73-last-year-updated-fbi-data-says-rcna3741|url-status=live}}
Georgia House of Representatives member Sam Park urged Asian Americans who are facing discrimination to reach out to the police, politicians, and the public. Another member, Bee Nguyen, said that violence against Asian Americans has increased in the last year and identified as a causative factor Donald Trump's use of the term "Chinese Virus" to refer to COVID-19.{{cite news|last=Jung|first=Christina|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/georgia-shooting-hate-crime-1.5954300|publisher=CBC News|title=Asian Americans fearful after Georgia massage parlour shootings|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318081124/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/georgia-shooting-hate-crime-1.5954300|url-status=live}} Asian-American basketball player Jeremy Lin accused Trump's rhetoric of inciting bitter hatred.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/mar/17/jeremy-lin-atlanta-spa-shootings |title=Jeremy Lin on Atlanta spa shootings: 'I worry I encourage hate by speaking out' |date=March 17, 2021 |work=The Guardian |access-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318033721/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/mar/17/jeremy-lin-atlanta-spa-shootings |url-status=live }} A number of other athletes and public figures also made statements alleging racist motives in the attacks.{{cite news |first1=Lorenzo |last1=Reyes |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/lakers/2021/03/17/lakers-lebron-james-speaks-out-senseless-atlanta-spa-shootings/4729863001/ |title='Senseless and tragic': LeBron James, NBA stars speak out against Atlanta-area shootings |work=USA Today |date=March 17, 2021 |access-date=18 March 2021 |archive-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318035624/https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/lakers/2021/03/17/lakers-lebron-james-speaks-out-senseless-atlanta-spa-shootings/4729863001/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/more/article/athletes-denounce-atlanta-shootings-condemn-anti-asian-racism/|title=Athletes denounce Atlanta shootings, condemn anti-Asian racism|date=March 17, 2021|publisher=Sportsnet|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318012559/https://www.sportsnet.ca/more/article/athletes-denounce-atlanta-shootings-condemn-anti-asian-racism/|url-status=live}}
The attacks were widely covered by media in South Korea, which has close cultural ties with the United States, especially through the 1.8 million Korean Americans considered part of the Korean diaspora.{{Cite news|last=Kwon|first=Junhyup|date=March 18, 2021|title=Here's How South Korea Is Reacting to the Atlanta Spa Shootings|work=Vice|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7adjz/atlanta-spa-shootings-south-korean-response|url-status=live|access-date=March 22, 2021|archive-date=March 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320194512/https://www.vice.com/en/article/k7adjz/atlanta-spa-shootings-south-korean-response}} The Hankyoreh called for American society to accept "the serious reality of racial bullying and hate crimes" and take steps to ensure everyone's safety regardless of race. The Kyunghyang Shinmun said the United States was "defenseless to racist attacks", while Segye Ilbo called for "effective measures so that crimes against humanity do not take root" in the United States. Mainstream American English-language media was criticized for its coverage of the shooting compared to American Korean-language and South Korean media. Issues brought up included that the former was focused more on the shooter's background, ignored the victims, and immediately dismissed racial motivations after the shooter and law enforcement claimed it was sexually motivated, while the latter instead focused on the victims, interviewed community figures and people who knew the victims, and looked at previous racist and anti-Chinese statements made by the shooter.{{cite web|first=Natasha|last=Ishak|access-date=April 22, 2021|title=How mainstream media failed the Atlanta shooting victims|url=https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/03/how-mainstream-media-failed-the-atlanta-shooting-victims/|website=Nieman Lab|publisher=Harvard University|archive-date=April 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422143703/https://www.niemanlab.org/2021/03/how-mainstream-media-failed-the-atlanta-shooting-victims/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first1=Regina|last1=Kim|access-date=April 22, 2021|title=Atlanta Spa Shootings: What Korean-Language Media Told Us That the Mainstream Media Didn't|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/atlanta-shootings-what-korean-language-media-told-us-that-the-mainstream-media-didnt-1149698/|date=March 31, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-date=April 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422005926/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/atlanta-shootings-what-korean-language-media-told-us-that-the-mainstream-media-didnt-1149698/|url-status=live}}
The shootings prompted the Chinese Canadian National Council's Toronto chapter and other groups to issue a statement calling for action against rising anti-Asian sentiment in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic and the discrimination and violence faced by Asian workers in massage parlors and the sex industry.{{Cite news|date=March 18, 2021|title='Stand with us': Anti-Asian racism in Canada is nothing new, communities say after Atlanta shootings|publisher=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/asian-racism-canada-atlanta-shootings-1.5953800|url-status=live|access-date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319003650/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/asian-racism-canada-atlanta-shootings-1.5953800}} On March 23, the House of Commons of Canada unanimously passed a motion introduced by New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh condemning the shootings and the rise of anti-Asian sentiment across North America, as well as calling on the federal government to hold a federal-provincial summit on coordinating and funding anti-hate efforts.{{Cite news|last=Jackson|first=Hannah|date=March 22, 2021|title=Canadian MPs vote to condemn Atlanta mass shooting, anti-Asian racism|publisher=Global News|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7712225/mps-condemn-anti-asian-hate/|url-status=live|access-date=March 23, 2021|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323002606/https://globalnews.ca/news/7712225/mps-condemn-anti-asian-hate/}}
Advocates for sex workers said the shootings fueled fears over anti-sex work ideology.{{cite news|title='A specific kind of racism': Atlanta shootings fuel fears over anti-sex-work ideology|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/18/atlanta-spa-shootings-anti-sex-worker-racism-sexism|work=The Guardian|first=Marie|last=Solis|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318113921/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/18/atlanta-spa-shootings-anti-sex-worker-racism-sexism|url-status=live}} Columnist Tracy Quan commented on the incident from her perspective as an Asian American and a former sex worker: "Untangling the suspect's motive isn't easy when race and sex are competing to dominate the narrative{{nbsp}}... I've experienced bias and ethnic profiling, but I've also been a sex worker, and I have encountered more prejudice, more name-calling, more fear, bitterness, anger and hostility in connection with my sex work than regarding my race."{{cite news |last1=Quan |first1=Tracy |title=Don't forget — the Georgia shootings are a hate crime against sex workers |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-03-19/tracy-quan-dont-forget-the-atlanta-shooting-is-a-hate-crime-against-sex-workers |access-date=March 21, 2021 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=March 19, 2021 |archive-date=March 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320212637/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-03-19/tracy-quan-dont-forget-the-atlanta-shooting-is-a-hate-crime-against-sex-workers |url-status=live }}
= Hate crime debate =
The shootings sparked fears of lack of security among owners and employees of Asian-owned businesses across the U.S., a debate over hate crime definitions, and criticism of the current methods used to aggregate hate crime data in the country.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/business/anti-asian-sentiment-shootings/index.html|title='No one was listening.' Asian business owners react to Atlanta shootings|publisher=CNN Business|last=Kavilanz|first=Parija|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318201631/https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/business/anti-asian-sentiment-shootings/index.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/978680316/atlanta-spa-shootings-expose-frustration-and-debate-over-hate-crime-label|title='Enough Is Enough': Atlanta-Area Spa Shootings Spur Debate Over Hate Crime Label|publisher=NPR|last=Chappell|first=Bill|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318180934/https://www.npr.org/2021/03/18/978680316/atlanta-spa-shootings-expose-frustration-and-debate-over-hate-crime-label|url-status=live}} The New York City Police Department deployed counterterrorism officers to Asian American communities as a precaution due to the shootings.{{cite news|date=March 17, 2021|title=Shootings at Atlanta Asian massage parlours leave eight dead|publisher=Sky News|url=https://news.sky.com/story/shootings-at-atlanta-asian-massage-parlours-leave-eight-dead-12248372|access-date=March 17, 2021|archive-date=March 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317043643/http://news.sky.com/story/shootings-at-atlanta-asian-massage-parlours-leave-eight-dead-12248372|url-status=live}} Police patrols and community outreach efforts were also increased in Seattle.
Long's statements that the shootings were not racially motivated but rather motivated by an intent to lash out at sources of temptation have spurred widespread skepticism, with members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus citing the nature of the targeted locations and the ethnicity of many of the victims.{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/massage-business-shootings-georgia-coronavirus-pandemic-hate-crimes-shootings-87635173a176d6a121c44a0988feb23d|title=US lawmakers decry violence against Asians in Georgia visit|publisher=Associated Press|last=Thanawala|first=Sudhin|date=March 28, 2021|access-date=March 28, 2021|archive-date=March 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328212043/https://apnews.com/article/massage-business-shootings-georgia-coronavirus-pandemic-hate-crimes-shootings-87635173a176d6a121c44a0988feb23d|url-status=live}} State Representative Nguyen argued that Long should be charged with a hate crime, noting that a racial motivation would not be necessary for his actions to qualify as a hate crime, since the law also applies to those who specifically target women. President Joe Biden also condemned the attacks as a hate crime, and expressed his support for hate crimes legislation recently introduced into Congress.{{Cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/19/biden-condemns-atlanta-shootings-as-anti-asian-hate-crime|title=Biden condemns Atlanta shootings as anti-Asian hate crime|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=March 19, 2021|access-date=March 19, 2021|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319223954/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/19/biden-condemns-atlanta-shootings-as-anti-asian-hate-crime|url-status=live}} U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland, a Korean American from Washington state, said from the House floor that racially-motivated hate crimes should be called out instead of "making excuses and rebranding it as economic anxiety or sexual addiction."{{cite news|date=March 21, 2021|title=What We Know About the Atlanta-Area Spa Attacks|work=New York|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/7-dead-after-shootings-at-multiple-spas-in-atlanta-updates.html|access-date=March 22, 2021|archive-date=March 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321211237/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/7-dead-after-shootings-at-multiple-spas-in-atlanta-updates.html|url-status=live}} Li Zhou, writing for Vox, argued that no matter whether or not the crimes were due to sexual addiction, the main motive would nonetheless coincide with factors of race and gender, since the stereotype of Asian female spa workers being prostitutes would in and of itself be a racist, misogynistic line of thinking.{{Cite web|last=Zhou|first=Li|date=2021-03-17|title=The Atlanta shootings can't be divorced from racism and misogyny|url=https://www.vox.com/22336317/atlanta-georgia-shootings-racism-misogyny-targeting-asian-women|access-date=2022-01-01|website=Vox|language=en|archive-date=March 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210319074433/https://www.vox.com/22336317/atlanta-georgia-shootings-racism-misogyny-targeting-asian-women|url-status=live}}
On March 18, the U.S. House of Representatives held a previously scheduled congressional hearing on anti-Asian American discrimination, where Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) questioned whether the committee's attempts to prevent hate crimes and hate incidents against Asian Americans would hamper free speech. He claimed, "It seems to want to venture into the policing of rhetoric in a free society." His statement prompted criticism from Democrats.{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/18/grace-meng-says-republicans-putting-bulls-eye-asian-americans/4750031001/|title='We will not let you take our voice from us': Rep. Meng responds to Republicans at hearing on anti-Asian discrimination|newspaper=USA Today|last=Wu|first=Nicholas|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318184339/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/18/grace-meng-says-republicans-putting-bulls-eye-asian-americans/4750031001/|url-status=live}}
Andrew Sullivan criticized speculation in the media about Long's motives and the assertion that his actions constitute a hate crime, saying that the media is "rushing to promote ready-made narratives, which actually point away from the empirical facts."{{cite news |last1=Wulfsohn |first1=Joseph |title=Andrew Sullivan blasts media for 'grotesquely' distorting Atlanta shootings to push hate crime 'narrative' |url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/andrew-sullivan-blasts-media-for-grotesquely-distorting-atlanta-shootings-to-push-hate-crime-narrative |publisher=Fox News |access-date=25 March 2021 |date=21 March 2021 |archive-date=March 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210325061653/https://www.foxnews.com/media/andrew-sullivan-blasts-media-for-grotesquely-distorting-atlanta-shootings-to-push-hate-crime-narrative |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Sullivan |first1=Andrew |title=The media's new truth |url=https://nypost.com/2021/03/20/the-medias-new-truth/ |work=New York Post |access-date=March 25, 2021 |date=March 20, 2021 |author-link=Andrew Sullivan |archive-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327163057/https://nypost.com/2021/03/20/the-medias-new-truth/ |url-status=live }} Elizabeth Nolan Brown, writing in Reason, said that Long's motives were "still unclear, despite many in the media attributing it to anti-Asian racism".{{cite magazine |last1=Brown |first1=Elizabeth |title=Massage Parlor Massacre: 8 Killed in Atlanta, Media Speculate About Anti-Asian Motive |url=https://reason.com/2021/03/17/massage-parlor-massacre-8-killed-in-atlanta-media-speculates-about-anti-asian-motive/ |magazine=Reason |access-date=March 25, 2021 |date=March 17, 2021 |archive-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324003527/https://reason.com/2021/03/17/massage-parlor-massacre-8-killed-in-atlanta-media-speculates-about-anti-asian-motive/ |url-status=live }} Deborah Epstein, director of Georgetown University Law Center’s Domestic Violence Clinic, claimed in an interview for NPR: "This man targeted his victims because they were Asian, and he targeted his victims because they were women. And we have to shed the blinders that limit us to seeing the race piece, but not the gender piece of hate."{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/03/21/979809501/mass-shooters-often-have-a-history-of-violence-against-women |title=Mass Shooters Often Have A History Of Violence Against Women |publisher=NPR |last=Martin |first=Michael |date=March 21, 2021 |access-date=March 28, 2021 |archive-date=March 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327233117/https://www.npr.org/2021/03/21/979809501/mass-shooters-often-have-a-history-of-violence-against-women |url-status=live }}
= Gun reform =
Several politicians expressed concern with how easy it was for Long to obtain a gun on the day of the shooting, with the Giffords Law Center saying he would have completed the required background check within 100 seconds.{{Cite news|date=March 19, 2021|title=Atlanta spa shootings spark new push for gun controls|url=http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/19/atlanta-spa-shootings-gun-controls-new-push|access-date=March 24, 2021|work=The Guardian|last=Luscombe|first=Richard|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323143926/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/19/atlanta-spa-shootings-gun-controls-new-push|url-status=live}} Georgia state senator Michelle Au commented, "It is easier to buy a gun here than it is to vote."{{Cite news|title='It is easier to buy a gun here than it is to vote': Georgia State Senator Michelle Au proposes gun control measure amid wave of violence against Asian Americans|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/michelle-au-proposes-gun-control-measure-amid-wave-of-violence-against-asian-americans/|publisher=CBS News|date=March 21, 2021|access-date=March 24, 2021|archive-date=March 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324131132/https://www.cbsnews.com/video/michelle-au-proposes-gun-control-measure-amid-wave-of-violence-against-asian-americans/|url-status=live}} Advocates said a waiting period in Georgia could have prevented spontaneous violence.{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/gun-waiting-period-laws-spotlight-atlanta-boulder-shootings/story?id=76651676|title=Gun waiting period laws in spotlight after Atlanta, Boulder shootings|publisher=ABC News|last=Lenthang|first=Marlene|date=March 26, 2021|access-date=March 27, 2021|archive-date=March 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327070617/https://abcnews.go.com/US/gun-waiting-period-laws-spotlight-atlanta-boulder-shootings/story?id=76651676|url-status=live}} The day after the killings, Satirical news site The Onion republished its 'No Way To Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens article, with minor alterations to reflect the particular incident, as it routinely does in the aftermath of high-profile mass shootings.{{Cite magazine|title=Where is the gun reform debate after Atlanta?|url=https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/atlanta_shootings_gun_reform.php|access-date=March 24, 2021|magazine=Columbia Journalism Review|date=March 22, 2021|last=Allsop|first=Jon|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323212939/https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/atlanta_shootings_gun_reform.php|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|title='No Way To Prevent This,' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens|url=https://www.theonion.com/no-way-to-prevent-this-says-only-nation-where-this-r-1846494525|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=March 24, 2021|work=The Onion|archive-date=April 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412151348/https://www.theonion.com/no-way-to-prevent-this-says-only-nation-where-this-r-1846494525|url-status=live}}
Calls for gun reform were renewed when a shooting in Boulder, Colorado, occurred six days later. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the Senate "must and will move forward on legislation to help stop the epidemic of gun violence".{{Cite news|last1=Paybarah|first1=Azi|last2=Cramer|first2=Maria|date=March 23, 2021|title=Colorado Grocery Store Shooting Leaves 10 Dead|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/22/us/boulder-colorado-shooting|access-date=March 24, 2021|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323211145/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/22/us/boulder-colorado-shooting|url-status=live}} Asian American state legislators and the family of one of the victims met to discuss gun reform on May 4.{{cite news|url=https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atl-spa-shooting-victims-family-ga-aapi-legislators-gun-reform-talk/85-f3b775d9-b640-4ef9-b8a9-efa7dc35c20c|title=Family of spa shooting victim joins Georgia AAPI legislators' gun reform talk|publisher=WXIA-TV|last=Her|first=Chenue|date=May 4, 2021|access-date=May 4, 2021|archive-url=https://archive.today/20211206203448/https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atl-spa-shooting-victims-family-ga-aapi-legislators-gun-reform-talk/85-f3b775d9-b640-4ef9-b8a9-efa7dc35c20c|archive-date=December 6, 2021|url-status=live}}
= Criticism of sheriff's captain's phrasing =
During a press conference on the shootings, Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Department paraphrased what Long told investigators about his motives, saying "he was pretty much fed up and kind of at the end of his rope, and I guess it was a really bad day for him and this is what he did."{{Cite web|url=https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/atlanta-police-press-conference-on-spa-shootings-transcript-march-17|title=Atlanta Police Press Conference on Spa Shootings Transcript March 17|publisher=Rev|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=April 6, 2021|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322040452/https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/atlanta-police-press-conference-on-spa-shootings-transcript-march-17|url-status=live}}{{cite news|title=Christian mass shooter Robert Long was tired of 'temptation' posed by massage parlors: police|url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/robert-aaron-long-was-tired-of-temptation-posed-by-parlors.html|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=March 17, 2021|work=Christian Post|last=Blair|first=Leonardo|archive-date=March 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317182936/https://www.christianpost.com/news/robert-aaron-long-was-tired-of-temptation-posed-by-parlors.html|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|title=The Media Got It Wrong: Police Captain Didn't Say the Atlanta Spa Killer Was Having a 'Bad Day'|url=https://reason.com/2021/03/19/aaron-robert-long-spa-killer-atlanta-jay-baker-cop-bad-day/|date=March 19, 2021|last=Soave|first=Robby|magazine=Reason|access-date=March 22, 2021|archive-date=March 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321222638/https://reason.com/2021/03/19/aaron-robert-long-spa-killer-atlanta-jay-baker-cop-bad-day/|url-status=live}}
The phrase "really bad day" attracted criticism and led to the discovery of Baker's anti-Chinese sentiments on Facebook,{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/17/jay-baker-bad-day/ |title=Sheriff's official who said spa shooting suspect had 'bad day' posted shirts blaming 'CHY-NA' for virus |date=March 18, 2021 |first1=Meryl |last1=Kornfield |first2=Hannah |last2=Knowles |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-date=March 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318072807/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/17/jay-baker-bad-day/ |url-status=live }} thereby calling the integrity of the investigation into question.{{Cite news|last=Lonas|first=Lexi|date=March 17, 2021|title=Officer faces criticism for saying suspected Georgia shooter had 'a really bad day'|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/news/543694-officer-faces-criticism-for-saying-suspected-georgia-shooter-had-a-really-bad|access-date=March 18, 2021|work=The Hill|archive-date=March 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317234456/https://thehill.com/homenews/news/543694-officer-faces-criticism-for-saying-suspected-georgia-shooter-had-a-really-bad|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/18/the-atlanta-spa-murders-of-asian-american-women-what-we-know|title=The Atlanta murders of Asian American women: What we know so far|publisher=Al Jazeera|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318124932/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/18/the-atlanta-spa-murders-of-asian-american-women-what-we-know|url-status=live}} He has allegedly shared a Facebook post of t-shirts with the message "Covid 19 imported virus from Mainland Chy-na".{{cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Paul P. |last2=Lynch |first2=Jamiel |last3=Watts |first3=Amanda |title=Cherokee County, Georgia, Sheriff's spokesperson allegedly posted a photo of a racist, anti-Asian Covid-19 shirt on Facebook |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/18/us/racist-shirt-cherokee-county-sheriff-trnd/index.html |access-date=May 20, 2021 |publisher=CNN |date=February 23, 2021 |archive-date=May 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520083948/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/18/us/racist-shirt-cherokee-county-sheriff-trnd/index.html |url-status=live }} Observers said he was a sympathizer with Long.{{cite news|first=Irin|last=Carmon|title=Are the Atlanta Killings a Hate Crime? The Suspect Doesn't Get to Decide|date=March 18, 2021|work=New York|url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/are-the-atlanta-spa-shootings-a-hate-crime.html|access-date=March 24, 2021|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323205420/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/03/are-the-atlanta-spa-shootings-a-hate-crime.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Margaret|last=Sulivan|title='Not racially motivated'?: The Atlanta spa shootings show why the media should be wary of initial police statements|date=March 19, 2021|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/media-police-statements-atlanta-spa-shootings-jay-baker/2021/03/18/83f1b438-87ec-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html|access-date=March 24, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318235953/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/media-police-statements-atlanta-spa-shootings-jay-baker/2021/03/18/83f1b438-87ec-11eb-8a8b-5cf82c3dffe4_story.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|first=Leonard Jr.|last=Pitts|title=Leonard Pitts Jr.: Accused Atlanta shooter's 'bad day'|date=March 22, 2021|newspaper=Tribune-Review|url=https://triblive.com/opinion/leonard-pitts-jr-accused-atlanta-shooters-bad-day/|access-date=March 24, 2021|archive-date=March 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322230620/https://triblive.com/opinion/leonard-pitts-jr-accused-atlanta-shooters-bad-day/|url-status=live}} Georgia State Senator Michelle Au said Baker's remarks showed that law enforcement handled crimes against particular groups differently.{{cite news|first1=Neil|last1=Vigdor|first2=Nicholas|last2=Bogel-Burroughs|first3=Johnny|last3=Diaz|title=In Atlanta, Biden Condemns Attacks on Asian-Americans|date=March 19, 2021|newspaper=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/19/us/atlanta-shootings-massage-spa/bad-day-captain-jay-baker-atlanta|access-date=March 24, 2021|archive-date=March 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324040536/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/03/19/us/atlanta-shootings-massage-spa/bad-day-captain-jay-baker-atlanta|url-status=live}} Representative Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) called for the FBI to conduct its own independent investigation, saying that he believed the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office investigation would be unfair because of Baker's press conference remarks and Facebook post. Vincent Pan, a co-executive director of the civil rights group Chinese for Affirmative Action, said that Baker's involvement undermined Asian-American confidence that the investigation would be taken seriously.{{Cite news|last=Hayes|first=Christal|date=March 18, 2021|title=Georgia sheriff spokesman in spa shootings removed from case after 'bad day' comment, controversial anti-China shirt|work=USA Today|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/03/18/georgia-sheriffs-spokesman-jay-baker-appeared-promote-racist-shirt/4745028001/|url-status=live|access-date=March 23, 2021|archive-date=March 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323221359/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/03/18/georgia-sheriffs-spokesman-jay-baker-appeared-promote-racist-shirt/4745028001/}}
On March 18, Sheriff Reynolds of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office released a letter that acknowledged the criticism, expressed regret over Baker's words, and contextualized the remarks by pointing to the "difficult task" that Baker had and Baker's personal connections to the Asian-American community. The letter did not address Baker's Facebook post. Later that day, Baker was removed from his spokesman role in the investigation. According to WSB-TV, the incident prompted the Cherokee County Sheriff Department to briefly consider handing off its role in the case to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.{{cite news|title=Captain who said suspect had 'bad day' is no longer a spokesman on the case, official says|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/17/jay-baker-bad-day/|newspaper=The Washington Post|first1=Meryl|last1=Kornfield|first2=Hannah|last2=Knowles|date=March 17, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318072807/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/17/jay-baker-bad-day/|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-georgia-voting-rights-coronavirus-pandemic-atlanta-08fc2e62e73a394dc633c76e94314ffb|title=Atlanta police on shooting probe: 'Nothing is off the table'|publisher=Associated Press|last=Brumback|first=Kate|date=March 18, 2021|access-date=March 18, 2021|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318194625/https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-georgia-voting-rights-coronavirus-pandemic-atlanta-08fc2e62e73a394dc633c76e94314ffb|url-status=live}}
= Protests =
{{further|Stop Asian Hate}}
File:WSP Vigil for Asian Americans (51056486608).jpg
Oscillations of violence against the Asian American community has sparked social movement across the U.S., with anti-racist messaging such as "Stop Asian Hate" becoming more prevalent.{{Cite news|date=March 16, 2022|title=A year after the Atlanta spa deaths, Asian American communities build stronger ties|url=https://www.npr.org/2022/03/16/1086665322/1-year-after-atlanta-deaths-asian-americans-build-stronger-ties|access-date=July 20, 2022|work=NPR|archive-date=July 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720164617/https://www.npr.org/2022/03/16/1086665322/1-year-after-atlanta-deaths-asian-americans-build-stronger-ties|url-status=live}} On March 21, thousands participated in protests in Atlanta, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Montreal, denouncing anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes.{{Cite news|date=March 21, 2021|title=Protesters march against anti-Asian racism in US|url=https://news.yahoo.com/protesters-march-against-anti-asian-203255463.html|url-status=live|access-date=March 22, 2021|work=Yahoo! News|agency=Agence France-Presse|archive-date=March 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210321214627/https://news.yahoo.com/protesters-march-against-anti-asian-203255463.html}}
Red Canary Song, an Asian and migrant massage parlor worker rights organization, has also protested against some of the proposed solutions which they view as counter-productive, such as increased policing and pressure to shutdown massage parlors entirely. Alternatively, they have promoted efforts to de-stigmatize massage parlors, advocated for decriminalization of sex work, and encouraged positive cultural changes that would affirm the dignity of massage parlor workers.{{cite magazine |last1=Grant |first1=Melissa |title=Saying Never Again to the Violence in Atlanta Means Saying No to More Policing |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/161792/atlanta-shooter-sex-worker-red-canary-song |magazine=The New Republic |date=March 24, 2021 |access-date=April 26, 2021 |archive-date=April 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425120120/https://newrepublic.com/article/161792/atlanta-shooter-sex-worker-red-canary-song |url-status=live }}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Atlanta history}}
{{Anti-Chinese sentiment}}
{{Stop Asian Hate}}
{{Mass shootings in the United States in the 2020s}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atlanta spa shootings, 2021}}
Category:2020s crimes in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:2021 in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:2021 mass shootings in the United States
Category:2021 murders in the United States
Category:Asian-American history
Category:Asian-American issues
Category:Asian-American-related controversies
Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2021
Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Deaths by firearm in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:March 2021 crimes in the United States
Category:Mass shootings in Georgia (U.S. state)
Category:Mass shootings in the United States
Category:Racially motivated violence against Asian Americans