Asian women among eight killed at three spas in US

Six Asian and two other women have been assassinated in shootings at three spas in the US State of Georgia.

According to the international news agency, four people were killed at a massage parlor in Acworth. Police said that four more have been killed at two spas in the city itself.

Sources said that the first shooting took place at 17:00 at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor in Acworth, Cherokee County.

Sheriff’s office spokesman Capt Jay Baker said two people died at the scene and three were taken to hospital, where two more died. Moreover, he also confirmed that two Asian women were killed.

A White woman and a white man were victims. A Hispanic man was wounded too.

After less than an hour, sources said that police were called to a “robbery in progress” at Gold Spa in northeast Atlanta.

Police stated, “Upon arrival, officers located three females deceased inside the location from apparent gunshot wounds.”

Officers were then called to a spa named Aromatherapy Spa. A woman was found shot dead.

Police stated that all four Atlanta victims were Asian women.

Police said that, after a manhunt, Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia, was arrested in Crisp County, about 150 miles (240km) south of Atlanta.

Capt Baker said investigators were “very confident” that the same suspect was the gunman in all three shootings.

Authorities said to the international news agency that it is too early in the investigation to know if the victims were targeted because of their race or ethnicity.

Advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate [Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders] called it “an unspeakable tragedy”.