Once again, a gunman has gone on the rampage. The venues are in massage parlors, and spas in and around Atlanta, and the gun violence killed eight people. They are believed to be of Asian descent. A 21-year-old man suspected to be the killer is in police custody.
The police captured him in Crisp County after a three-hour chase. Daily Mail UK mentions that an official of Cherokee County sheriff confirms this. It seems the Sheriff's Office received information about the suspect's car.
They spotted it, gave a chase, and forced it off the road. All the victims are women who have been shot dead in three separate incidents.
These happened at two spas and a massage parlor located in and around Atlanta.
Gun violence continues to take lives
Daily Mail UK says the first shooting was in Acworth, Georgia. This is located some 30 miles north of Atlanta. The gunman shot five victims, and two of them died on the spot. The remaining three were shifted to the hospital, where two more succumbed to their injuries.
Investigators cordoned off the area in the massage parlor's vicinity to search for ballistics, fingerprints, and other evidence. The office of the Cherokee County Sheriff furnished this information. The gunman then proceeded to the next venue more than 30 miles away. His targets were a couple of day spas near each other.
This second set of shootings occurred just before 6 PM.
Victims of the gun violence
The incidents of gun violence took place at venues where people come to relax. Most of the employees in these establishments are from Asia, and the four women killed in the two spas were Asians. In New York, NYPD deployed the Critical Response Command to safeguard Asian communities who reside in the city.
This is because the coronavirus pandemic has witnessed increased hate crimes directed towards selected groups like Asian Americans.
Daily Mail UK adds the shooting area remained shut down for a long time, and the police were on armed vigil outside the spas. Investigators are busy collecting information from the crime scenes.
They want to ascertain the timeline of events and try to establish the motive. The law enforcement agencies believe the same gunman committed all three shootings. Gun violence kills innocents, and gun control can act as a deterrent.
Eight people killed in Atlanta gun violence
According to Mirror UK, eight people lost their lives in gun violence in Atlanta massage parlors and spas. The area witnessed three shootings, and the dead included four women. While interacting with the media, the police confirmed all four victims were female and appeared to be Asian. In the second incident of gun violence, four people died, and two others were injured. This happened at a massage parlor in Cherokee County.
The suspect probably escaped in an SUV but was apprehended and taken into custody. The Cherokee County Sheriff'sSheriff's Office has identified him. Because of these incidents, police have intensified their vigil and are checking on other Asian spas in the area. Law enforcement agencies have not revealed any link between the two shootings. Officers admitted the case was an "extreme priority." Incidentally, rapper Chucky Trill fell to bullets in a Georgia highway attack.
This took place earlier this month. Gun violence claimed 1,695 lives in 2019. This is as per data of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees guns' easy availability for self-protection in the United States.
This has led to several gun-related violence instances that have taken many innocent lives and left many others traumatized. The authorities need to address this issue and evolve a suitable mechanism to prevent unwanted loss of lives. In February 2018, students organized a rally for gun control.
