Update, July 28, Robert Aaron Long, a year-old white man, was originally taken into custody following the Atlanta spa shootings in March and accused of killing eight people, the majority of whom were Asian women. Now, Long pleaded guilty to four counts of murder in Cherokee County and was sentenced to life in prison plus 35 years without the possibility of parole, according to The New York Times.
Long also faces charges in another county where the shootings took place. While The Cut reports he took a plea deal to avoid a death sentence on charges in Cherokee County, prosecutors in Fulton County still intend to seek capital punishment and charged Long with murder, domestic terrorism, and aggravated assault.
He is scheduled to be arraigned in Fulton County in August. Original post, March 19, On Tuesday evening, eight people were shot dead at three different spas near Atlanta, Georgia. According to the New York Times , six of the eight people were Asian, and seven were women. This shooting comes after months of violent attacks against Asian and Asian Americans, several of which have gone viral on social media. Below, what you need to know about this most recent act of violence and how you can continue to support Asians, Asian Americans, and the AAPI community.
Four people were killed and a Hispanic man was injured. Less than an hour later, officers went to Gold Spa, about 30 miles away, to respond to a robbery and found three more women dead with gunshot wounds. At the same time officers were at Gold Spa, Atlanta police said they received a report about Aromatherapy Spa across the street.
There, they found another woman who had been shot. Robert Aaron Long, a year-old white man, was taken into custody and charged with eight counts of murder in the Tuesday attacks. A spokesman for the Atlanta field office also told the Times that the FBI is assisting in the investigation. According to CNN , police said, citing video evidence, "it is extremely likely" that the same person was responsible for all three shootings.
