The suspect in the Atlanta shootings, which claimed the lives of eight people, including six Asian women, at spas in the American city, legally purchased his gun from a local gun store, Big Woods Goods in Holly Springs, Georgia, an attorney for the company confirmed.
Robert Aaron Long has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault in Cherokee County and four counts of murder in Fulton County.
Eight people died and one person was injured in the shootings on Tuesday.
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Long remains in custody in Cherokee County.
However, in a brief statement to CNN, his lawyer Matt Kilgo said the company is fully cooperating with law enforcement and there is no indication that there was anything improper with the transfer yesterday.
Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said the suspect should face “the stiffest most appropriate charges.”
Talking to CNN, Bottoms said, “I think whatever the stiffest most appropriate charges there are, this guy should face those charges.”
“In Georgia, you can be charged with a hate crime. It covers a variety of areas and I personally think it would be appropriate, but I will defer to the prosecutors to make that determination.”
Bottoms thanked the law enforcement for apprehending the suspected shooter quickly.
Although the suspect claims the shootings were not racially motivated, Bottoms said it’s difficult to ignore that the Asian community has been targeted.
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“This is a man who murdered, eight people in cold blood, so it’s very difficult to believe what he says,” said Bottoms, CNN reported.
“It’s difficult to ignore the fact that many of the victims were Asian, all of the victims in Atlanta were Asian, in fact, and that he targeted these Asian massage parlors.”
Bottoms said it is important that people stand in solidarity with the Asian American community at a time when they are being “targeted unfairly”.
