Thursday marks two years since a gunman killed eight people, including six Asian women, at three spas in metro Atlanta.
Driving the news: The somber occasion will be marked with three events hosted by members of the General Assembly’s Asian American Pacific Islander Caucus.
- At 8:30am Thursday, a press conference for the spa shootings memorial will be held at the state Capitol.
- An Atlanta Justice rally is planned for 10am-1pm at the Georgia Freight Depot.
- On Friday, a reception and screening of the PBS documentary “Rising Against Asian Hate: One Day in March” will be held at Regal Medlock Crossing movie theater in Johns Creek.
Catch up quick: The shootings took place at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor in Cherokee County and Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa, both of which are in Atlanta.
- The victims killed in Atlanta were: Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant and Yong Ae Yue. Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Yaun and Paul Michels all died in the Cherokee shooting. One person survived the Cherokee shooting.
- Robert Aaron Long, a white man, was charged in the mass shootings. He serving life in prison after pleading guilty to the shootings in Cherokee and faces the death penalty in Fulton County for murder and hate crimes charges.
Context: Along with Thursday’s anniversary, March 21 will mark two months since a mass shooting in Monterey Park, Calif., killed 11 people and injured nine others on the eve of the Lunar New Year.
- According to polling by Momentive (the creator of SurveyMonkey) and AAPI Data, 84% of Asian Americans worry about being victims of mass shootings, compared to 74% of Black, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander respondents and 59% of white respondents.
What we’re watching: The suspect, Robert Aaron Long — a white man — is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to the shootings in Cherokee. He faces the death penalty in Fulton County for murder and hate crimes charges.
- The AJC reported in January that Fulton County Superior Court…
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