Police deal with backlash around Atlanta-area spa shootings as suspect is formally charged

The man accused of killing 8 people today at a few Atlanta-space spas on Tuesday has been formally billed. The rampage has sparked outrage in the Asian American neighborhood, which has seen a increase in racist violence over the earlier yr, as investigators say it is far too early to inform if the attack is racially determined. CBS News national correspondent Mark Strassmann joined CBSN from Atlanta with the most recent.

Video Transcript

VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: Let’s start off with this new info, Anne-Marie, regarding Tuesday’s Atlanta space spa shootings. The suspect accused of killing eight men and women, most of whom ended up of Asian descent, has formally been charged with murder and aggravated assault.

Now the rampage has sparked outrage during the entire Asian-American neighborhood, which has observed a considerable rise in racist violence all over the coronavirus pandemic. And now, 1 police spokesperson involved in the scenario is dealing with criticism for his reaction. It will come as investigators say it is far too early to inform if the assault was racially inspired. That is what officers are declaring. Mark Strassmann is reporting on the most current.

MARK STRASSMANN: Robert Long’s mom and dad recognized him in these surveillance pictures posted on social media and alerted deputies, who commenced tracking his mobile cellphone. They forced his SUV off the highway and arrested him 150 miles south of Atlanta, but not in advance of they say he went on a rampage at three distinct Atlanta spot spas.

OPERATOR: A white male? What is he putting on?

CALLER: I really don’t know. Please just occur, Ok?

MARK STRASSMANN: Eight men and women have been murdered in around a person hour, 6 of them Asian women of all ages.

JAY BAKER: This is nevertheless early, but he does claim that it was not racially inspired.

MARK STRASSMANN: Officers reported race did not look to be at the rear of the assaults.

JAY BAKER: He seemingly has an situation, what he considers a sex habit, and sees these destinations as one thing that will allow him to go to these spots. And it is a temptation for him that he wished to eradicate.

Tale proceeds

– The doing work theory is a sexual habit concern, rather than a racial profile?

FRANK REYNOLDS: Throughout our interviews we questioned that distinct issue and that did not show up to be the motive.

MARK STRASSMANN: But activist and writer, Helen Zia, claimed authorities are lacking critical context.

HELEN ZIA: Hyper sexualization of Asian-American girls is portion of the racism towards Asian-Us residents. And to say that sexual habit is an justification, or a explanation, to go on a mass killing rampage is preposterous. He is heading to get the term of a mass shooter, who takes place to be white, against the lived expertise of the Asian-American community? It is really–

MARK STRASSMANN: Zia also claimed Captain Jay Baker’s description of the suspect’s body of mind was outrageous.

JAY BAKER: He was fairly a lot fed up and at the finish of his rope, and yesterday was a truly terrible day for him. And this is what he did.

HELEN ZIA: I could not believe that a police captain was recounting the negative day that the killer experienced, without having a shred of empathy for the seriously poor working day that the eight victims and their households had, the incredible grief that the total neighborhood is likely by. And this is the form of point that will make persons problem regulation enforcement and whether they are really there for the individuals that they’re intended to be guarding.

VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: And Mark joins us now with more from Georgia. So Mark, Baker is also going through criticism for a Fb write-up he made final year. Notify us a lot more about that. What did he do?

MARK STRASSMANN: He had a article on his particular Fb that showed some t-shirts. They had been anti-Asian t-shirts that reported, COVID-19 virus, imported from China, type of feeling that same sentiment that former President Trump had when he was referring to the kung flu, that several Asian-People in america, of course– and loads of folks– have objected to as racist, too.

And so all of this type of feeds into the narrative that there are a quantity of insensitivities going on listed here. And now you have a sheriff’s office investigating what lots of individuals see as a despise crime. And there may perhaps be some persons in the sheriff’s workplace who have problematic attitudes of their individual.

So we’ve received sort of many degrees of complexity in this article. And none of this is particularly practical.

ANNE-MARIE Green: Isn’t really that the real truth? Have we listened to nearly anything from any possible witnesses?

MARK STRASSMANN: No, not so a lot, Anne-Marie. I honestly believe that, in several scenarios, the most effective witnesses in these a few enterprise institutions will be the surveillance tape that is inside of. Pretty much all of these destinations have it, and at the very least they have it in the lobby.

And so you will remember that it was the surveillance picture from the first criminal offense scene that the sheriff’s business posted and said, have you seen this man? If you have, permit us know. Or if you know who this man is, permit us know. And his mom and dad in fact responded and mentioned, yeah, that is our son.

So I honestly imagine that the surveillance tape, as substantially as just about anything, could be the very best witness of all, and then of system, from what investigators say, the suspect has confessed. So it may perhaps not be all that challenging to construct a scenario versus him. The dilemma is, what demand is heading to be leveled from him moreover murder? Will it be a loathe criminal offense cost? And we have to v– that stays to be noticed.

VLADIMIR DUTHIERS: So Mark, what far more can you explain to us about the victims? I know that in your evening news piece final night you experienced some specifics on a newlywed, which was horrific. But what additional do you know about some of the many others?

MARK STRASSMANN: Permit me communicate about the newlyweds just for a second, Vlad, since this is a kind of a hanging moment, way too. So her name was– she’s 33 many years aged– Delaina Yaun Gonzales was in right here as a client. She was killed.

In one more space was her spouse of– they’ve been married a lot less than a 12 months. He was also a buyer right here. He was in a room with a locked doorway. He survived.

But this girl, who is his spouse, who was killed, they have an eight-thirty day period-previous daughter. So it’s 1 of the several tragedies right here.

There are at the very least– of the six Asian girls who ended up murdered, 4 of them are Korean. That was confirmed by the South Korean foreign ministry. The proprietor of this individual small business was between– 49 decades old, she was killed.

So we are beginning now to type of piece jointly some of these individuals and what their again stories are, and just the mindlessness, and senselessness, and tragedy of the full matter, of study course, is eight specific lives that had been needlessly ended yesterday.

ANNE-MARIE Eco-friendly: Without a doubt, Mark. Thank you so a lot.