On Tuesday, March 16th, 2021, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long went on a shooting spree at three Atlanta-area massage parlors, killing 8 people. Six of the victims were Asian women. Long was arrested later that evening in Creek County, Georgia.
According to Cherokee County Sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker, Long claimed that the massage parlors were a “temptation” that he wanted to eliminate. Long claimed to have a sex addiction and reportedly told investigators that his actions were “not racially motivated.” Baker also said Long had a “really bad day.”
After significant backlash over his tone-deaf characterization of Long’s “really bad day,” Baker was removed from the case. Baker was also found to have posted a Facebook image that promoted racist messaging about COVID-19.
Long was a member of Crabapple First Baptist Church, which has since removed him from membership and said his actions were “antithetical to everything” the faith community believes. Long had reportedly spoken to other members about his struggle with pornography and sex addiction.
Whether Long’s attack was racially motivated is being hotly debated. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. The deliberate targeting and killing of 8 people is an act of terror. That Long apparently targeted massage parlors because he considered them a temptation speaks to a disturbing combination of misogyny, self-loathing, and religious extremism.
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