The man accused of killing eight people at three massage parlors in an Atlanta-area shooting was charged with murder on Wednesday. Police captured Georgia resident Robert Aaron Long after a manhunt on Tuesday night after the attacks at the massage parlors, which occurred within a short period of time and within close proximity. Eight people were killed and others were injured in the shootings.
Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds told reporters Wednesday that Long, 21, went on the shooting spree only hours after he obtained his 9mm handgun. He also said Long, who was arrested in Crisp County 150 miles south of Atlanta, has confessed to the attacks and said they were not racially motivated but admitted a sex addiction. “During his interview, he gave no indicators that this was racially motivated,” Reynolds said “We asked him that specifically and the answer was no.” Authorities added that sex addiction played a role in the shootings because Long often frequented massage parlors and wanted to eradicate a behavioral habit he was trying to break.” Six of the eight victims were of Asian descent and seven were women, details that spurred speculation that the attacks may be related to a wave of violence against Asian Americans in the United States over the past year related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Long is scheduled to be arraigned on murder charges Thursday. It wasn’t immediately known whether the handgun used in the crimes was obtained legally.
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