LeBron James on Wednesday condemned the string of “senseless” shootings at Atlanta metro area massage parlors, calling the suspected gunman a “coward a** young man.”
“My condolences goes out to the families of all the victims and the entire Asian community tonight on what transpired in Atlanta at the Aromatherapy Spa,” the Los Angeles Laker legend wrote on Twitter.
James then tore into the suspect, who has been identified as 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia.
“Coward a** young man!! Just senseless and tragic!!” he wrote.
The violence began Tuesday evening when five people were shot at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor in Acworth, which is about 30 miles north of Atlanta, authorities said.
“Coward a** young man!! Just senseless and tragic!!” LeBron James wrote on the Atlanta shooting. NBAE via Getty ImagesFour of the victims of that shooting died, according to the sheriff’s office.
About an hour later, three women were found dead from apparent gunshot wounds at Gold Spa near Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood.
Authorities investigate the scene of a shooting at an Atlanta massage parlor on March 16, 2021. AP Photo/Mike StewartWhile officers were there, they received another call across the street at Aromatherapy Spa and found another woman shot dead, police said.
A body is taken away from Gold Spa massage parlor after a shooting, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. AP Photo/Brynn AndersonNo motive has been released, but authorities said many of the victims were women of Asian descent.
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday that four people of Korean descent were among those killed, according to the Korea Herald.
The slayings come amid a wave of attacks against Asian Americans since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
