Although preliminary investigations suggest the suspect was not motivated by racial hatred, officials said it was still too early to know with certainty and the investigation was still ongoing.
Law enforcement officials said Wednesday that the suspect in the fatal shooting of eight people in and around Atlanta indicated that he had sex addiction issues and that the shooting was not motivated by racial hatred.
Authorities said the 21-year-old suspect, Robert Aaron Long, continued to visit the spa where Tuesday’s violence occurred or similar incidents occurred, and that he was heading to Florida when he was caught, possibly carrying out further shootings. Six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent.
“The suspect claimed responsibility for the shooting,” Cherokee County Sheriff Department Captain Jay Baker told a news conference.
“It’s a temptation for him to get over what he wanted to get over,” Mr. Baker said, referring to what he said was suspected sexual addictions.
Although preliminary investigations suggest the suspect was not motivated by racial hatred, officials said it was still too early to know with certainty and the investigation was still ongoing.
A federal law enforcement official said that US officials are still looking at whether the attacks were motivated by anti-immigrant or anti-Asian motivations or some personal complaint. Reuters, On condition of anonymity.
The murders were the latest in large-scale firing incidents in the United States, occurring in other schools, movie theaters, medical clinics, and other public places in recent years. Mr. Baker said that 9 mm gun was found in Long’s car.
Four people died and another was injured in Young’s Asian Massage in Cherokee County, 64 km north of Atlanta.
The dead also included two women of Asian descent, along with a white woman and a white man, with Mr. Baker stating that the surviving victim was a Hispanic man.
Police Chief Rodney Bryant told reporters that in the state capital of Atlanta, Georgia, police officers were responding to calls of “robbery in progress” shortly before arriving at the gold spa beauty salon at 6pm and that of three women Shot dead.
While investigating the initial report, officers were called across the street to a separate aromatherapy spa, where another woman was found injured by gunfire, Mr. Bryant said. All four women killed in Atlanta were of Asian descent.
For a long time, Woodstock in Cherokee County, about 240 km south of Atlanta, was detained in Crisp County. A photo of Long, who is white, was released by authorities. Law enforcement officials said he is being held at the Cherokee County Detention Center and is scheduled to appear on Thursday.
Long seen in southern Georgia, away from crime scenes, police in Cherokee County issued a bulletin providing a description and license plate of the vehicle involved in the attacks.
Authorities said he was arrested after the incident without a highway pursuit by Georgia State Police and Crisp County Sheriff.
Police said that long-term apprehension was expressed by footage of the suspect in collaboration with law enforcement from his family and security cameras at the shooting locations.
“We really appreciate the family. Without them it is not as quick as it happens. They were very supportive, ”said Mr. Baker.
Gun control is a divisive issue in the United States, which ensures the right to bear arms in the Constitution. Last week, the US House of Representatives approved a pair of gun control bills as Democrats captured a changing political landscape that they said gave better opportunities to enact new laws after years of failed efforts.
Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms said that “committing crimes against any community is a crime against all of us”, with many victims it was a sad day. But thankfully, the suspect was quickly caught. “
Police departments in Atlanta and New York City said they would register a presence in businesses and Asian communities in the wake of the shootings.
White House spokesman Jane Saki said President Joe Biden was briefed about the shooting overnight. A judicial department official said Attorney General Merrick Garland, America’s top law enforcement officer, has also been briefed. The FBI’s Atlanta office is assisting the local police in its investigation.
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