Asian women among 8 killed in separate spa shootings in Atlanta

Atlanta, March 17 (IANS) At least eight people, many of them women of Asian descent, were killed and one injured in shootings at three spas in Atlanta area, police said.
One suspect has been taken into custody in connection with the series of shootings on Tuesday. Cherokee County Sheriff’s said that Robert Aaron Long (21) was arrested at about 8:30 p.m. (local time) following a chase that led officers into Crisp County — about three hours away from where the first shootings at a massage parlour, WSB TV reported.
Two of the shootings were at spas across the street from each other in northeast Atlanta and the other happened about 30 miles away in Cherokee County to the northwest of the city.
“Video footage from our Video Integration Centre places the Cherokee County suspect’s vehicle in the area, around the time of our Piedmont Road shootings,” the Atlanta police said in a statement.
“That, along with video evidence viewed by investigators, suggests it is extremely likely our suspect is the same as Cherokee County’s, who is in custody. Because of this, an investigator from Atlanta police is in Cherokee County and we are working closely with them to confirm with certainty our cases are related.”
Officials in each jurisdiction said there were no immediate indications of motive and said it is unclear whether the shootings were related.
FBI spokesman Kevin Rowson added that the agency has been assisting Atlanta and Cherokee County authorities in the probe.(IANS)