After a manhunt, the police detained a 21-year-old man as the suspect of at least one of the three shootings against ‘spas’ in Atlanta (US) in the evening of 16 March.  

In total, eight people have died in three attacks committed in a period of time of around 90 minutes. Six of the victims are Asian women.

The police and the FBI are investigating if racist motives fuelled the attack. In the US, ‘Asian massage spas’ refer to venues were prostitution is exercised.

Asked about wether the attack could be described as a hate crime, the Chief of the Atlanta Police said: “We are still early in this investigation, so we cannot make that determination at this moment”.

In a press conference, the County Sheriff said the suspect had told investigators that he had “issues”, potentially a sexual addiction, “and may have frequented some of these [spas] in the past”.

Member of a Baptist church

Hours after the detention, several sources quoted social media posts and testimonies according to which the perpetrator was a member of a Baptist church in a town outside Atlanta.

Later, the church's leadership said in a statement: “We are grieved to hear the tragic news about the multiple deaths in the Atlanta area. We are heartbroken for all involved (...) We grieve for the victims and their families, and we continue to pray for them. Moreover, we are distraught for the [attacker's] family and continue to pray for them as well”.

“Spike in anti-Asian violence”

“We’re horrified by the news coming out of GA at a time when we’re already seeing a spike in anti-Asian violence”, the US Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus said. “This latest attack will only exacerbate the fear and pain that the Asian American community continues to endure”, added the group Stop Asian American Pacific Islanders Hate.

The Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp, said: “Our entire family is praying for the victims of these horrific acts of violence”.