The Every day Beast
Massage Parlor Massacres Suspect Said He Loved Guns & God
Photograph Illustration by The Every day Beast / Photographs Cherokee Sheriff’s OfficeATLANTA—A Georgia man who professed a ardour for weapons and God was in custody on Tuesday evening after a string of shootings that police mentioned appeared to focus on Asian ladies at therapeutic massage parlors and left eight folks lifeless.Robert Aaron Lengthy, 21, of Woodstock, Georgia, was caught on video on the crime scenes and later nabbed on a freeway two hours south of Atlanta following a police chase, authorities mentioned.Police confused that it was too early to announce a motive—however not less than 4 of these killed have been of Korean descent, and the horrific assaults come amid a wave of focused violence towards the Asian-American neighborhood. A trickle of particulars concerning the suspect, who glided by his center identify, provided few clues.“Pizza, weapons, drums, music, household, and God. This beautiful a lot sums up my life. It’s a reasonably good life,” learn the tagline on an Instagram account that appeared to belong to Lengthy.A scholar who graduated from Sequoyah Excessive with Lengthy in 2017 who spoke on the situation of anonymity advised The Every day Beast, “He was very harmless seeming and wouldn’t even cuss. He was sorta nerdy and didn’t appear violent from what I keep in mind. He was a hunter and his father was a youth minister or pastor. He was massive into faith.” Crisp County Sheriff’s Workplace The rampage started at Younger’s Asian Therapeutic massage in Acworth in Cherokee County, the place two folks have been killed, one different individual succumbed to their accidents en path to a close-by hospital, and one died whereas in remedy, in line with the sheriff’s workplace. The victims have been two Asian ladies, a white lady, and a white man, in line with the Atlanta Journal-Structure. A Hispanic man was additionally injured within the taking pictures and was rushed to a hospital for medical remedy, a spokesman for the sheriff mentioned. About an hour later and 30 miles away, two spas on the identical Atlanta road—Gold Spa and one in Aroma Remedy Spa—have been focused by gunfire, and 4 Asian ladies have been killed.Officers had simply arrived at one of many spas to search out the victims once they have been summoned to the second. “Whereas at [the first location] we obtained one other name throughout the road of photographs fired, and responded to search out one other particular person shot at that location,” Atlanta Police Chief Rodney N. Bryant advised reporters.Whereas no particulars concerning the Acworth victims got, Bryant mentioned that “it seems that all of the [Atlanta] victims are feminine” and “it seems that they could be Asian.” Shootings at two therapeutic massage parlors in Atlanta and one within the suburbs have left a number of folks lifeless, lots of them ladies of Asian descent, authorities mentioned Tuesday. Brynn Anderson/AP Two males who stay simply throughout from Gold Therapeutic massage Spa who refused to present their names mentioned their neighbors began asking them concerning the incident round 6:15 p.m. They mentioned the world was very various, however that the spa was recognized to be an Asian-owned enterprise.“That is the worst taking pictures since ‘99 I believe,” one of many males advised The Every day Beast. “There was a taking pictures then the place a man went by means of his workplace and killed a bunch of individuals and he killed his household. That was 12 folks I believe, so that is the worst one since I’ve been right here.”Bryant has declined to say whether or not police imagine the shootings in Georgia Tuesday amounted to a hate crime, saying, “We are able to’t make that dedication simply but.”Cherokee County Sheriff ’s Capt. Jay Baker advised reporters: “Nothing goes to be dominated out. Wherever the investigation leads us, that’s the place we’re going to go.” Atlanta police mentioned video surveillance of Lengthy’s automobile in any respect three therapeutic massage parlors captured Tuesday evening made it “extraordinarily seemingly” he was the principle suspect in all three shootings.Baker mentioned that Lengthy was arrested by Crisp County Sheriff’s officers who carried out a PIT maneuver, or a pursuit intervention method, by which police power one other automobile to plow sideways and cease.Lengthy’s household didn’t reply to requires remark. His youth pastor on the Crabapple First Baptist Church confirmed he was the suspect and mentioned elders can be releasing a press release.A 2018 video on the Crabapple Fb web page options Lengthy discussing his Christian journey towards baptism. “As lots of you might keep in mind, once I was 8 years previous I assumed I used to be changing into a Christian, and received baptized throughout that point. And I keep in mind lots of the rationale for that’s lots of my buddies in my Sunday faculty class have been doing that,” Lengthy says within the clip.“And after that point, there wasn’t any fruit from the basis that’s our salvation.”He goes on to say that when he was in seventh grade he attended a youth group and a speaker was discussing the biblical story of the prodigal son.“The son goes off and squanders all that he has and lives utterly for himself after which, when he finds he’s eager to eat pig meals, he realized there’s one thing fallacious and he goes again to his father and his father runs again to him and embraces him. And by the grace of God I used to be in a position to attract the connection there and understand this can be a story between what occurred with me and God. I ran away residing utterly for myself, and he nonetheless needs me, and in order that’s once I was saved.”The FBI joined the investigation late Tuesday, and President Biden was additionally briefed on the massacres. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who’s in South Korea, talked about the killings earlier than a gathering with officers mentioned.“We’re horrified by this violence which has no place in America or wherever,” he mentioned, in line with the Related Press.President Joe Biden not too long ago condemned the surge in crimes of hate, which have included a brazen, lethal assault on an 84-year-old from Thailand who was killed on a morning stroll within the San Francisco Bay Space. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus mentioned it was “horrified” by information of the taking pictures “at a time once we’re already seeing a spike in anti-Asian violence.”The authorized advocacy nonprofit Asian Individuals Advancing Justice – Atlanta launched a press release saying the group was “shaken” by the shootings. “Now could be the time to carry the victims and their households in our hearts and with gentle.”— Jose Pagliery and Will Bredderman contributed reportingRead extra at The Every day Beast.Get our high tales in your inbox every single day. Enroll now!Every day Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the tales that matter to you. Study extra.
