The domestic terrorist that murdered eight people, six of whom were Asian women, reportedly had a “sexual addiction.” Police say he planned more killings in Florida.
Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds spoke about the murderer Robert Aaron Long, 21, during a Wednesday office. Reynolds claimed that Long has a sexual addiction, which he says played into Long targeting and killing people at three Atlanta-area spas. “He made indicators that he has some issues, potentially sexual addiction, and may have frequented some of these places in the past.”
Reynolds went on to say that race “did not appear to be the motive” behind Long’s monstrous acts. Instead, he said Long’s victims were “targets of opportunity.” Cherokee County Sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker agreed with Reynolds, saying Long saw the spas as “a temptation for him that he wanted to eliminate.”
But, people aren’t buying that explanation. Many online are pointing out how the media and the police force perpetuate and support white supremacy while downplaying its role in race-centered crimes, particularly when the person at fault is white.
“Describing the shooter as having a “sexual addiction” is a tactic used to invoke sympathy and obscure the fact that the fetishization of Asian women is racist. This is a hate crime,” one woman wrote on Twitter.
Another person wrote, “The media coverage is harmful. NAME IT. He was a white supremacist. He had an Asian fetish, a sexual addiction, an intention to harm Asian women. Center the victims. Their names were Delaina Ashley Yuan, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Yan, and Daoyou Feng. May they rest in power.”
Long will be arraigned Thursday morning; there are no details about whether or not he has been charged.
