Georgia shootings leave 8 dead, suspect arrested

Atlanta (US), March 17

A series of shootings over nearly an hour at three Atlanta area massage parlours left eight persons dead and raised fears that the attack was yet another hate crime against the people of Asian descent.

The police arrested a 21-year-old Georgia man, saying the motive wasn’t immediately known, though many victims were women of Asian descent.

The attacks began on Tuesday evening, when five persons were shot at Youngs Asian Massage Parlour in Acworth, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Atlanta, Cherokee County Sheriff’s office spokesman Capt Jay Baker said. Two persons died at the scene and three were taken to a hospital, where two died.

About an hour later, the police responding to a call about a robbery found three women dead from apparent gunshot wounds at Gold Spa in Atlanta’s Buckhead neighbourhood, which is home to many tattoo parlours and strip clubs. While there, the officers learned of a call reporting shots fired at another spa across the street, Aromatherapy Spa, and found a woman who appeared to have been shot dead. “It appears that they may be Asian,” Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said. — AP

4 killed, 1 wounded in Phoenix firing

• A shooting on Tuesday night in a Phoenix home left four adults dead and one man wounded, the police said
• A man and a woman were found dead inside the home and two men found critically wounded there died at hospitals, while the wounded 19-year-old man was hospitalised in stable condition, they said
• The identity of the victims was not made public and the authorities did not reveal more about the shooting