By Vanessa Romo | NPR
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At least eight people were killed and another has been injured in a series of shootings at three spas in the Atlanta, Ga, area on Tuesday and one suspect has been taken into custody, multiple news outlets are reporting.
It's unclear if all three incidents, which happened within hours of one another, are connected.
LAist has reached out to local law enforcement officials to ask if the shootings have prompted any increase in patrols in Southern California.
These homicides have alarmed the Asian American community. The anti-violence group Stop AAPI Hate released the following statement Tuesday night:
"The reported shootings of multiple Asian American women today in Atlanta is an unspeakable tragedy -- for the families of the victims first and foremost, but also for the Asian American community, which has been reeling from high levels of racist attacks over the course of the past year. Few details about these shootings have been released, including whether or not they were motivated by hate. This latest attack will only exacerbate the fear and pain that the
Asian American community continues to endure."
Cherokee County Sheriff's announced Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man, was arrested at about 8:30 p.m. local time following a chase that led officers into Crisp County -- about three hours away from where the first shootings at a massage parlor, WSB TV reported.
The Associated Press says Long appears tolook similar to surveillance images released by Cherokee County deputies.
Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office said when officers arrived at Young's Asian Massage, two victims were already dead and another three were still alive, 11Alive reported. The wounded were rushed to a local hospital, but two have since died. One of the victims was a man, as is a survivor, officials said.
The names of the four victims killed at Young's Asian Massage, as well as that of the person who was injured, have not been released by authorities.
About an hour after that shooting, Atlanta police officers were called to respond to a robbery in progress at Gold Spa. Once there, they discovered the bodies of three women who had been fatally shot. Moments later, officers were called to a another shooting across the street at a different spa -- Aromatherapy Spa -- one more woman was found dead of a gunshot wound.
Authorities said many of the victims appeared to be women of Asian descent.
This is a developing story. Some things reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.
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