National, Regional and Local News

[dryrunguy]

Damn it. I almost had it right. So, the Atlanta massage parlor shooter told police he shot these women because THEY provided an outlet for HIS sex addiction. See how that works in some male brains? It was THEIR fault that HE had a sex addiction.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/atlanta-sh ... 1615989454

[ti-amie]

Suspect in Atlanta shootings that left eight dead might have frequented spas, authorities say

By
Timothy Bella,
Paulina Firozi and
Keith McMillan
March 17, 2021 at 1:27 p.m. EDT

Shootings at three Atlanta-area spas on Tuesday left eight people dead, including six Asian women, prompting widespread concern that the killings could be the latest in a surge of hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Police said the lone suspect told investigators he has a “sexual addiction” and that the spas were "a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate.” But the authorities added it was too early to be certain that the slayings were not racially motivated.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, was arrested after a brief manhunt Tuesday. Authorities said Long admitted he was responsible for the slayings, and they believe he acted alone.

Here’s what to know:

Police identified the four victims killed in Cherokee County, and added that a fifth suffered wounds that are not life-threatening.

Long was reportedly on his way to Florida to carry out additional shootings, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) said.

Baker said Wednesday that Long claimed during interviews that the acts of violence were not racially motivated. Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said that it remains unclear whether the shootings could be classified as a hate crime.

Vice President Harris called the shootings “tragic” and expressed condolences to the families of the eight people killed. “We grieve for the loss,” she said. “It speaks to a larger issue, which is violence in our country and to never tolerate it.”

Georgia state Sen. Michelle Au (D) said that regardless of what authorities determine to be the motive, “it is taking place in a landscape where Asian-Americans are increasingly terrified and fearful for their lives and their safety because of these escalating threats against against our people.”


Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds speaks at a news conference Wednesday in Atlanta. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)

1:27 p.m.
Atlanta rampage fits patterns seen in prior mass killings
By Mark Berman

Some details offered by authorities about the shooting rampage in the Atlanta area fit patterns seen in other mass killings.

Researchers have found that mass killers and active shooters are usually male, typically target places known to them and are often fueled by grievances. These grievances can involve attackers blaming others for their issues or otherwise perceiving some wrong, researchers have found.

Law enforcement officials said Wednesday that the suspect in the shootings at the three Atlanta-area spas “may have frequented some of these places in the past.” They also suggested during a news briefing that he described the spas as “a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate,” one official said.

An FBI study in 2018 looking at active shooters found that most of those examined had a grievance that “may not have been reasonable or even grounded in reality, but it appeared to serve as the rationale for the eventual attack, giving a sense of purpose to the shooter.” Mass attackers also typically unnerve people around them beforehand, alarming at least someone in their lives before the outburst of violence, researchers have found.

Authorities also said that the shooting suspect told investigators that the killings were not racially motivated. In some recent high-profile cases, attackers or people charged in mass killings have been explicit about their intentions and sentiments, including during and after mass killings in Pittsburgh, El Paso and Charleston, S.C.

The suspected attacker in Pittsburgh allegedly said he wanted to “kill Jews” while rampaging inside a synagogue. Police said the man charged with killing people at an El Paso Walmart told them that he was targeting “Mexicans” that day. And the man who massacred Black parishioners inside a Charleston church detailed his racist motivations at length.

All of those massacres led to hate-crime charges.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2 ... e-updates/

[ti-amie]

There are, I would guess, thousands of sex workers in the Atlanta area but he decided to target spas where the majority of the workers are of Asian descent.

Yeah. Right.

[ti-amie]

[ti-amie]

[ponchi101]

So, this what we can do when we have a bad day? I mean, worst thing I do is get that third cocktail late in the evening but, if these are the new guidelines, well, I guess that sorority down the road is fair game, right?
(And no, there is no sorority down the road).

[ti-amie]

I thought the same thing Ponchi. When you have a bad day there are now endless possibilities you can choose from to relieve your stress.
I mean if you don't like the way your neighbor looks or the kids are too loud, well, do you.

[Suliso]

It's a ridiculous statement, but at least those of you in US have always been free to shoot up any place you like. Of course with certain consequences as this guy will find out soon enough.

[ti-amie]

They're already portraying him as a pastors son who was tempted and led into sex addiction by "exotic" foreign women. Make of that what you will.

As I type this I don't think the names of any of the deceased have been released. It's been reported that many of the women work under assumed names but if the Korean Embassy has already said four of the deceased are their nationals someone knows their real names. The two non Asians haven't been ID'd either.

[ti-amie]

Someone else having a bad day?

[ponchi101]

AITA or is the lunacy scale increasing daily?
Should the American Psychoanalytical Association start some sort of "Doomsday Clock", the day when 50% + 1 of all Americans go irreversibly cuckoo? I mean, in Venezuela we frequently talked about "The C Day"*, the day everything would finally go to pieces, but this is like pedal to the metal, no seat-belts, no headlights on, a fifth of Jack in your hand, driving to hell.

Off Topic

* In Vennieland, our equivalent to f*** is "coño", which is used in as many ways and can range from hilarious to offensive. So, "El dia del C***". Which, of course, did happen.

[JazzNU]

AITA or is the lunacy scale increasing daily?

Yes.

As for the second question, I'd also go with yes, but it will likely decrease soon enough. The pandemic has apparently brought out some crazy and that will likely decrease as restrictions ease. For the Q people. They need to be deprogrammed. We at one point had too many that were part of cults, and that number decreased greatly. I expect the same for this over the next few years.

[ti-amie]

This could lend credence to the argument some are making that the terrorist was coached before making his statement.

[JazzNU]

It's been 24 hours and I'm still very angry about the "it was a really bad day for him." This sympathetic BS from the police reminds me way too much of Dylann Roof getting (expletive) Burger King after killing people at the South Carolina church.

[dmforever]

It's been 24 hours and I'm still very angry about the "it was a really bad day for him." This sympathetic BS from the police reminds me way too much of Dylann Roof getting (expletive) Burger King after killing people at the South Carolina church.

Word. It's especially egregious given the previous post. I really hope this dude gets fired.

Kevin