A series of Georgia massage parlor shootings transpired on Tuesday evening. It recorded eight fatalities, six of them were women of Asian descent. One man, 21, has been taken into custody in southwest Georgia.
Georgia Massage Parlor Shootings
According to Cherokee County Sheriff Department Capt. Jay Baker, Robert Aaron Long from Woodstock was arrested in Crisp County on Tuesday evening, around 150 miles (240 kilometers) south of Atlanta.
Baker stated the fatal shootings started at the Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County, north of Atlanta, on Tuesday. Of the four killed, two were women of Asian descent, while the other two were a white man and a white woman. A fifth victim who survived is Hispanic. Two persons were injured in the attacks.
Over in Atlanta, Georgia, police officers responded to an ongoing robbery a little before 6 p.m. When they arrived at the Gold Spa beauty salon, they found three dead women, all shot, Police Chief Rodney Bryant said, reported Buzzfeed News. While still at the scene, they were called to a separate alarm just across where they were, an aroma-therapy spa across the street. A fourth victim with a gunshot wound was found dead inside. All the women killed in Atlanta were of Asian descent.
Baker stated the suspect was captured by surveillance video pulling up to the area at about 4:50 p.m. on Tuesday, minutes before the shooting. Authorities on Tuesday were searching for a suspect who was driving a dark-colored SUV.
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Police did not divulge whether they think the Atlanta shootings were associated with the Cherokee County shootings, which is about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta. Multiple people had been transferred to hospitals for treatment, reported The Guardian.
On its Facebook page, the sheriff's office posted surveillance pictures. He asked people to share the photos that displayed the man near the vehicle. People described the man as the suspect. He appealed for anyone who recognizes him or the vehicle to call 911.
Long of Woodstock was arrested at 8:30 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday. He said investigators from the two jurisdictions were "very confident" that he was the same gunman responsible for the three fatal shootings at massage parlors in the metro Atlanta area.
According to the Atlanta Police Department, footage from their Video Integration Center places the Cherokee County suspect's vehicle in the area. This was around the time of the Piedmont Road shootings. That, alongside video footage monitored by investigators, suggests a high possibility that the suspect is the same as that of the Cherokee County's, who is in custody. Therefore, an investigator from APD is in Cherokee County, and they are cooperating with them to confirm with certainty that their cases are connected, reported KEZI.
The murders came amid a recent series of attacks against Asian Americans. The shooting temporarily halted traffic near the Cherokee County business located in the 6400 block of Highway 92, around 30 miles (50 kilometers) northwest of Atlanta.
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