PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A shooting spree at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area left eight people — mostly Asian women — dead. The shootings happened amid a surge of attacks against Asian Americans coinciding with the coronavirus pandemic.
In Philadelphia, police say they are monitoring the situation and, out of an abundance of caution, they are bolstering patrols around Asian communities and businesses.
Mayor Jim Kenney condemned the violence and assured “hate has no home in our city. We will do everything in our power to keep you safe.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said he was “heartbroken” over the “heinous attack,” adding, “it’s on all of us to stand up and make clear that this is not who we are as Americans.”
Last week, during President Joe Biden’s first national primetime address, he condemned hate and violence against Asian Americans.
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The attacks started Tuesday evening when police were called to a massage parlor in suburban Atlanta, where five people were shot. Four of the victims died. About an hour later in Atlanta, police say they found three women shot and killed in a spa. Across the street at another spa, they found one woman shot dead.
Authorities say six of the eight shooting victims are Asian.
The suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia, was taken into custody. Authorities were able to get surveillance footage of a car and ultimately arrested him about 150 miles south of Atlanta. Police have yet to release a motive.
According to the latest report by the national coalition Stop AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Hate, there have been nearly 3,800 anti-Asian hate incidents across the U.S. in the last year, between March 2020 — the start of the pandemic — and this past month.
Many believe these crimes are racially charged, as COVID-19 was first identified in Wuhan, China, and former President Donald Trump often referred to it as the “Chinese virus” or the “China virus.”
U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, who represents part of South Jersey, was vocal after the string of shootings.
“This is a lot to process,” said Kim, who is one of the first Korean American members of Congress. While there has been a sharp rise in racism against Asian Americans, he said it’s nothing new. “What I’m trying to get at is there is a deeper cut here in our society and we really need to address that wound.”
Asian Americans United Executive Director Alix Webb said the organization started in the ’80s because of discrimination against refugees who settled in Philadelphia.
“This is not new to us and it never gets easier,” she echoed.
She said she’s been comforted as people of all races have spoken out in support, and an event is set for 7 p.m. Tuesday at 10th and Vine streets, in Chinatown.
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“Candlelight vigil around anti-Asian violence, but really it’s around violence in all of our communities.”