Bloodshed in Atlanta: ‘Very likely’ to be the same perpetrator in all eight murders

They were stained with blood on Atlanta and a suburb of three massage and spa institutes, where eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were killed. Police say they have arrested the main suspect.

It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. were committed, however, against the backdrop of the escalation of attacks against Americans of Asian descent in recent months, as noted by AMPE.

After examining the material recorded by the cameras of the surveillance systems of the three massage institutes, it is considered “very likely” that all three attacks were committed by the same perpetrator, as explained to the French Agency a representative of the police.

In the investigation carried out for the massacre The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is also involved.

In the first attack, four people were killed and two others were injured around 5pm (local time; 11pm Greek time) at a massage parlor nearly 50 miles (50 km) from Atlanta, the largest city in Georgia (southeastern United States), a Cherokee police spokesman said. with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Later in the afternoon, in two identical incidents four more people lost their lives at two massage parlors – opposite each other – in Atlanta, the city police department said in a press release, a copy of which came in the possession of the French Agency.

“Upon arrival, police found three women dead inside (the massage parlor) with obvious bullet wounds. “On the spot, the police were informed about a fire on the opposite side of the road”, where they found another woman dead, the announcement clarifies.

A suspect, Robert Aaron Long, 21, was arrested last Tuesday night.In the early morning hours today, Greek time), 240 km from the city of Atlanta, the Cherokee County police informed for their part through the social networking site Facebook. He has been remanded in custody.

According to the newspaper, the first massacre took place at an Asian massage institute, where two women of Asian descent were killed, one white and one white. The four victims of the other two incidents are also women of Asian descent, according to the same source.

The American president Joe Biden had condemned last Thursday the violence against Americans of Asian descent, who “are being attacked, harassed, charged, used as scapegoats.”

According to anti-racist activists, the hatred for this community was largely fueled by the rhetoric of former Republican President Donald Trump, who often referred to the new coronavirus as the “Chinese virus.”

Although it is sometimes difficult to prove that an attack was xenophobic, racist crimes against Asian Americans nearly tripled – from 49 to 122 – in 2020 in the 16 largest US cities, according to a study by the Center for Study of Hate and Extremism, an organization based in San Bernardino (California).

Georgia is home to nearly 500,000 Americans of Asian descent – make up just over 4% of the state’s population – according to the Asian American Advocacy Fund, an organization that defends the rights of this community in the United States.

“The attack on the Asian-American community in Georgia tonight (Tuesday) is absolutely horrific. “While the information continues to reach us, this attack unfortunately follows the trend of violence against Native Americans of Asian descent, which has exploded during the pandemic” of the new coronavirus, said the president of the state organization of the Democrats, Nikima Williams, in published press release.

In the evening, the New York police announced that they are increasing their patrols in areas where Americans of Asian origin live.

“The tragic killings in Atlanta reaffirm how necessary it is to take action to protect all of America’s marginalized minorities from racism,” said Ben Crump, a criminologist representing his family. George Floyd.

You may also like