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Atlanta shooting: Asian-Americans rally as investigators say hate crimes charge ‘not off the table’
- US President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris will meet Asian-American leaders during their visit to Atlanta on Friday
- Motive for deadly attack still under investigation, police say, while confirming that suspect had patronised the two Atlanta spas targeted in shooting spree
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Shaken by fatal shootings of six Asian women in the Atlanta area, minority groups and leaders in the US are pushing back against anti-Asian racism, as police consider whether to pursue hate crimes charges against the suspect.
Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white male, has been charged with murdering four people at two spas in Atlanta and four more in Cherokee County about 40 miles (64km) to its north on Tuesday.
Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton told a news conference on Thursday that investigators were still trying to determine a motive but that charging Long with a hate crime had not been ruled out.
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“Our investigation is looking at everything, so nothing is off the table for our investigation,” Hampton said in response to a reporter’s question about whether law enforcement was investigating the events as a possible hate crime.
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Emergency call from inside massage parlour during deadly attacks in US
Emergency call from inside massage parlour during deadly attacks in US
Long had suggested to investigators that a sex addiction led him to violence. Lawmakers and anti-racism advocates have speculated the killings were motivated at least in part by anti-Asian sentiments.
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