Eight people were killed and others were wounded in shootings at three massage parlours in Atlanta, Georgia. Many of them were women of Asian descent.
Police on Tuesday evening arrested the suspect, a 21-year-old white man from Georgia, Robert Aaron Long, who during an interview with law enforcement at the night claimed responsibility for the shooting incidents at three massage parlours in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Long claimed that the attacks were not racially motivated and that he had a "sexual addiction" and saw the massage parlours as a "temptation" that he wanted to "eliminate", according to authorities, adding that Long, when caught, was on the way to Florida, where he planned to commit similar crimes.
The carnage added to the already high tensions around violence and discrimination targeting the Asian American community during the coronavirus pandemic.
Since the news broke out, Twitterati has actively been demanding action against the hate crimes that occur against Asians. For around a month, people have been actively discussing the rising number of hate crimes against Asians in the West. Since yesterday, #StopAsianHate has been trending non-stop on Twitter. Not only Asians, but people across the globe are condemning the shootings.
Here's a look at public reaction about the deadly Atlanta shootings. Have a look.
With inputs from IANS.
