ROBERT AARON LONG

We listened in on a conversation between Asian American grass-roots organizers Esther Kao, Elena Shih and Phi Nguyen.

Asian American organizations in cities across the country planned rallies to mark the anniversary of the shootings and to promote awareness about ongoing violence.

A year after the fatal shootings at three Georgia massage businesses, crowds gathered at rallies across the country to remember the victims and denounce anti-Asian violence that has risen sharply in recent years.

In the year since a gunman killed eight people at three Georgia massage businesses, the family members and friends of the victims have been struggling with grief, trying to heal and making sure their loved ones aren’t forgotten.

More than 150 people came together to remember the victims of the mass shooting at several Atlanta area massage businesses that happened nearly one year ago.

Robert Aaron Long, 22, has already been already sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty in a separate case to fatally shooting four people at a massage business outside Atlanta.

A man already sentenced to life in prison for killing four people at a massage business outside Atlanta pleaded not guilty to shooting four others at two spas inside the city.

The filing comes after another county's district attorney said she uncovered no evidence that Robert Aaron Long was motivated by racial bias.

A man accused of killing eight people at Atlanta area massage businesses who has already pleaded guilty in four of those killings appeared briefly in court Monday but did not enter a plea in the other four slayings.

He faces the death penalty.

A Georgia man accused of killing eight people at three Atlanta-area spa businesses is pleading guilty.

A Georgia man has plead guilty on Tuesday to all four murder charges related to the shootings at three metro Atlanta spas.

A man accused of killing eight people at Atlanta-area massage businesses was pleading guilty in Cherokee County. He faces the death penalty if convicted in four more shooting deaths in Atlanta.

Robert Aaron Long will now face charges in Fulton County, where prosecutors intend to seek hate crime enhancements and the death penalty.

A man accused of killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at massage businesses in Georgia has pleaded guilty to four of the murders.

The Democratic-led House has approved a resolution condemning attacks in March that killed six women of Asian descent at Atlanta-area massage businesses.

Robert Aaron Long, 22, was indicted on murder charges in the March 16 killing of eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, in the Atlanta area.

Prosecutors will seek hate crime charges against Robert Aaron Long, who was officially indicted in several slayings at Atlanta-area spas.

A man accused of killing eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage businesses in March was indicted Tuesday on murder charges.

A man accused of killing eight people in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage businesses has been indicted on murder charges in two counties.

ATLANTA (AP) — A man accused of killing eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage businesses was indicted Tuesday on murder charges, and a prosecutor filed notice that she’ll also seek hate crime charges and the death penalty.

Long a minority in American Christianity, Asian American Christians have found a new voice after the Atlanta spa shootings. They are a bridge between those who blame an evangelical 'purity culture' for the deaths and activists who say the growth of anti-Asian hatred cannot be ignored.

"I started thinking about my son.”Lyon waited in the room, less than a minute, he figures, until he heard the sound of bells signaling someone had opened the front door at Youngs Asian Massage. "I couldn’t believe it was happening.”AdLyon's eyewitness account and police reports released Tuesday reveal a closer look at the carnage of March 16. His right hand in his back pocket, he walked into Youngs Asian Massage through the front door. ___AdRita Barron told deputies she heard screams and loud thumps coming from Youngs Asian Massage. Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49, was an entrepreneur who owned Youngs Asian Massage and other businesses.

(AP Photo/Ben Gray)ATLANTA – A man who survived the shooting that killed his wife at an Atlanta-area massage business last week said police detained him in handcuffs for four hours after the attack. Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said in an emailed statement Monday afternoon that his office would not have any further comment on the case and is focusing on the investigation and prosecution. In all, seven of the slain victims were women, six of them of Asian descent. Gonzalez said they put him in handcuffs and detained him for about four hours, according to the website. “Only when they finally confirmed I was her husband, did they tell me that she was dead," he said.

The exception is 44-year-old Daoyou Feng, an employee at Youngs Asian Massage near Woodstock about whom little is known. Instead those relatives are mourning her death Tuesday at the Aromatherapy Spa in Atlanta. “From what I understand, he was at the spa that day doing some work for them,” said Michels’ younger brother, John Michels of Commerce, Michigan. “He was actually looking to start his own massage spa. Family members said Yaun and her husband were first-time customers at Youngs, eager for a chance to unwind.

A 21-year-old white man is accused of killing eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, at three Atlanta-area massage businesses Tuesday. Hundreds of people of all ages and varied racial and ethnic backgrounds gathered in Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, and in similar rallies across the country, waving signs and chanting slogans. Otis Wilson, a 38-year-old photographer who's Black, said people need to pay attention to the discrimination those of Asian descent face. They moved to Atlanta four years ago and got involved in community organizing, last summer pulling together an event to support Black women victimized by police violence. AdHunt, who's Black, joined Saturday's rally to “show Black and Asian solidarity,” adding “I think it’s amazing.

A hate crime charge can be included in an indictment or added at some point before trial. If a jury convicts the defendant of the underlying crime, prosecutors can present evidence for a hate crime sentencing enhancement. The Georgia law also mandates collecting and reporting data on hate crimes investigated by law enforcement, which allows tracking and proper allocation of resources, Washington said. “This, to me, is a sex crime hate crime where the victims happen to be Asian," he said. Georgia’s Supreme Court had overturned an earlier hate crimes statute in 2004, saying it was too broad.

(AP Photo/Candice Choi)WASHINGTON – Federal investigators have so far not found evidence that clears the high bar for federal hate crime charges against a man who has been accused of killing eight people at three Atlanta-area massage businesses, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. Seven of the eight people killed were women; six were of Asian descent. The crime has stitched together stigmas about race, gender, migrant work and sex work. Though investigators have not ruled out ultimately filing hate crime charges, they face legal constraints in doing so. To successfully prosecute a hate crimes case, prosecutors typically seek tangible evidence, such as the suspect expressing racism in text messages, in internet posts or to witnesses.

AdvertisementGenerally, a hate crime designation results in the possibility of additional penalties against a suspect. The research center found that anti-Asian hate crimes increased 149% year to year, from 49 in 2019 to 122 in 2020. Today, Arkansas, South Carolina and Wyoming remain as states that do not have hate crime laws. AdvertisementThe growth in hate crime laws hasn’t necessarily amounted to increases in hate crime prosecution, said Michael German, a fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice. The attacker was charged with attempted murder but no hate crime in part because he did not say anything before the attack.

The Atlanta-area rampage on Tuesday evening that left eight people dead has sparked heated public discussion over the killer’s disturbed motives. The attack showed links to recent cases of harassment and violence against both Asian Americans and women. Asian American women bear a particular burden at the intersection of sexism and racism. Reuters faced backlash earlier this week for the headline, “Sex addiction, not racial hatred, may have driven suspect in Georgia spa shootings: law enforcement,” which critics said echoed the suspect’s preferred narrative, as stated by police. Reuters later softened the headline to “Motive in Georgia spa shootings may not be race, but Asian-Americans fearful,” which did not muster much support either.

Police said 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt. Michels is still trying to digest what happened to his twin brother, Paul Michels, 54. Michels said Paul Michels worked with security systems and was at the Cherokee County location finishing up a project when the gunman walked in. “He was servicing their security systems. Michels said the last few days have been tough, but that he’s holding onto the memories of his twin brother.

Authorities have arrested 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long in the shootings at massage parlors in Atlanta and one in Cherokee County. Congregants were “distraught" when they learned the alleged shooter was a member of the community, the statement said. Ad“We watched Aaron grow up and accepted him into church membership when he made his own profession of faith in Jesus Christ," it said. Those statements caused widespread uproar and skepticism given the locations and that six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. “He had some interesting religious beliefs, I’m sure, but he was never very overtly pushy about that sort of thing.

(AP Photo/Candice Choi)WASHINGTON – Federal investigators have so far not found evidence that clears the high bar for federal hate crime charges against a man who has been accused of killing eight people at three Atlanta-area massage businesses, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press on Friday. Seven of the eight people killed were women; six were of Asian descent. The crime has stitched together stigmas about race, gender, migrant work and sex work. Though investigators have not ruled out ultimately filing hate crime charges, they face legal constraints in doing so. To successfully prosecute a hate crimes case, prosecutors typically seek tangible evidence, such as the suspect expressing racism in text messages, in internet posts or to witnesses.

“From what I understand, he was at the spa that day doing some work for them,” said Michels’ younger brother, John Michels of Commerce, Michigan. You get to a point where you get tired of climbing up and down ladders,” John Michels said. Though they were born 2 1/2 years apart, “he was basically my twin,” John Michels said. “He was a good, hard-working man who would do what he could do to help people,” John Michels said. “I just don’t understand why he took my daughter.”___This story has been edited to correct the name of Youngs Asian Massage.

(AP Photo/Candice Choi)ATLANTA – Two Atlanta area massage businesses where a gunman waged a deadly assault this week had been repeatedly targeted in police prostitution investigations over the years, raising questions about the mayor's earlier comments that the spas operated legally. Seven of the victims were women — six of Asian descent — and the gunman targeted the massage businesses despite a strip club and lingerie stores nearby. Police records released by the city Friday show 10 people were arrested at the two Atlanta massage businesses on prostitution charges, but none since 2013. Four people were killed and a fifth wounded at Youngs Asian Massage near Woodstock, in Atlanta’s northwestern suburbs. It was updated on March 20, 2021 to correct that there were 10 prostitution-related arrests at the two Atlanta businesses, and police were called to them repeatedly.

Authorities in Atlanta held a press conference Thursday to give an update on the investigation into the deadly shootings at three Atlanta-area spas. He also said the investigation remains active and that police are aiming for a "successful prosecution" of the "lone killer." The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, is in custody for the shootings at Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County and two Atlanta businesses, Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa, which are across the street from each other. Hampton said the Atlanta Police Department continues to lend its support to the Asian American community. Long told investigators he had a "sex addiction" and viewed the spas as a temptation he wanted to eliminate, officials said.

The hashtag began to appear on social media not long after the man first spoke on national television Wednesday: #JayBakerResign. As the nation clamored for answers in the deadly shootings of eight people at Atlanta-area spas — six of them women of Asian descent — the spokesman for the sheriff’s department in Cherokee County, Ga. seemed to play down the news. In the statement, Cherokee County Communications Director Erika Neldner said she will be handling media questions related to Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation into the slayings. According to a profile published on the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office website, he is a lifelong resident of the county and has worked for the department for 28 years. The sheriff’s department and police in Atlanta, where spa shootings also took place, have said that investigations are ongoing and that hate crime charges have not been ruled out.

“I obviously can’t comment on whether or not Robert Aaron Long was disregulated,” he said. “I have no idea. I do know from numerous research studies that often the best predictor for whether or not someone thinks they have an addiction is whether they feel morally upset by their behavior, whether they feel their sexual behavior is in violation of their moral and religious beliefs. If you’re trying to suppress a normal part of your sexuality because you’ve been taught it’s immoral and you can’t suppress it, you are more likely to say, ‘Maybe I have an addiction.’”

The statement did not give details about the status of Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent. “These problems we’re facing right now are not new,” Au said, referring to misogyny, anti-Asian discrimination and gun violence. But Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Capt. Authorities have charged 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long with murder in the deaths of eight people, six of them women of Asian descent.

(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)ATLANTA – Police said Thursday that “nothing is off the table” in the investigation of the deadly shootings at two Atlanta massage businesses, including whether the slayings were a hate crime. The pair postponed a political event in favor of meeting Friday with Asian American community leaders. “Our investigation is looking at everything, so nothing is off the table,” Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said at a news conference. Investigators believe Long had previously visited two of the Atlanta massage parlors where four of the women were killed, Hampton said. Long’s statements spurred outrage and widespread skepticism in the Asian American community, which has increasingly been targeted for violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

The president directed the flags be lowered until sunset on March 22 "as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence" on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Mr. Biden said on Twitter that he and first lady Dr. Jill Biden "are keeping everyone impacted by the shootings in Atlanta in our prayers." "We don't yet know the motive, but what we do know is that the Asian-American community is feeling enormous pain tonight," he tweeted. But the shooting has sparked outrage and fear in the Asian-American community, which has faced a surge in violence during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. They are also set to visit the Centers for Disease Control to receive an update on the pandemic.

First of all, police dismissed the idea that a shooting spree that killed six Asian women was a racist hate crime for the simple reason that Long told them it was not. But Long was most certainly acting on a broader and more historic variety of racism — the continual objectification and sexualization of Asian women in Western culture. AdvertisementFrom “dragon lady” to “china doll,” Asian women have been fetishized and stereotyped in literature, film, television, comedy and everyday conversation. Eight people died in Georgia on Tuesday, but the target of Long’s attacks was tragically clear: He intended to kill Asian women. If that is not a racist, sexist hate crime, then what the hell is?

The suspect has been charged with eight counts of murder, four in Cherokee County and four in Atlanta, officials said. The suspect indicated he "has some issues, potentially sexual addiction," Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said. The sheriff's office identified the suspect as 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, who was taken into custody 150 miles south of Atlanta. A Hispanic man shot in Cherokee County was in stable condition at a hospital, Baker said. The string of shootings started Tuesday evening at a spa in Cherokee County, 30 miles north of Atlanta.

Police continue to investigate Tuesday’s shooting in Georgia that left eight people dead. Police said 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt. READ: Public reaction to killings at Atlanta-area massage parlorsLocal leaders in the Asian American community fear crimes against Asians may happen closer to home. Duc Abrahamason, executive director of the Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce, said it’s everyone’s job to stand up to racism. It follows a lull in mass killings during the pandemic in 2020, which had the smallest number of such attacks in more than a decade, according to the database, which tracks mass killings defined as four or more dead, not including the shooter.

Eight people were killed Tuesday in shootings at three Atlanta-area spas. A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with one of the shootings, and Atlanta police said it is "extremely likely" he is also the suspect in the other two shootings. At around 5 p.m., a shooting at Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County killed four people, two of whom died after being transported to a hospital, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff's office. Cherokee County Police identified Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, as a suspect in the Young's Asian Massage shooting. White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement saying, "The President has been briefed overnight about the horrific shootings in Atlanta.

Authorities said the suspect in the deadly shootings at three Atlanta-area spas admitted to carrying out Tuesday evening's rampage and was on his way to Florida, where officials feared he would harm more people. Instead, the suspect indicated he "has some issues, potentially sexual addiction," Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said. The string of shootings started Tuesday evening at a spa in Cherokee County, 30 miles north of Atlanta. In Atlanta, police later responded to shootings at two spas across the street from one another. Cherokee County police identified the suspect as 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, who was taken into custody 150 miles south of Atlanta.

At least eight people were killed Tuesday in shootings at three Atlanta-area spas. A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with one of the shootings, and Atlanta police said it is "extremely likely" he is also the suspect in the other two shootings. At around 5 p.m., a shooting at Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County killed four people, two of whom died after being transported to a hospital, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff's office. Cherokee County Police identified Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, as a suspect in the Young's Asian Massage shooting. White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement saying, "The President has been briefed overnight about the horrific shootings in Atlanta.

A police officer watches as a body is taken from the Gold Spa massage parlor after a shooting, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. A 21-year-old man suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt, police said. He claimed to have a “sex addiction,” and authorities said he apparently lashed out at what he saw as sources of temptation. But those statements spurred outrage and widespread skepticism given the locations and that six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. AdThe attacks began when five people were shot at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor near Woodstock, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Atlanta, authorities said.

At least eight people were killed Tuesday in shootings at three Atlanta-area spas. A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with one of the shootings, and Atlanta police said it is "extremely likely" he is also the suspect in the other two shootings. At around 5 p.m., a shooting at Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County killed four people, two of whom died after being transported to a hospital, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff's office. Cherokee County Police identified Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, as a suspect in the Young's Asian Massage shooting. That, along with video evidence viewed by investigators, suggests it is extremely likely our suspect is the same as Cherokee County's, who is in custody."

He is the sheriff of Cherokee County, not Crisp County. Cherokee County Sheriff’s Capt. “We are heartbroken by these acts of violence,” Stephanie Cho, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, said in a statement. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said he was charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault with no bond. “That the Asian women murdered yesterday were working highly vulnerable and low-wage jobs during an ongoing pandemic speaks directly to the compounding impacts of misogyny, structural violence and white supremacy,” said Phi Nguyen, litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta.