Georgia official sparks outrage with bizarrely sympathetic comments about suspected mass murderer

Georgia official sparks outrage with bizarrely sympathetic comments about suspected mass murderer
Alex Henderson
March 17, 2021

In the Atlanta area, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long is the suspect in a series of violent attacks on Asian spas that left eight people dead — six of them Asian women. Cherokee County Sheriff's Capt. Jay Baker, discussing the investigation with reporters at a joint news conference with Atlanta Police this week, expressed bizarrely sympathetic-sounding comments for the suspect — triggering a backlash on social media.

Baker said of Long, "He was pretty much fed up and has been kind of at the end of his rope, and yesterday was a really bad day for him. And this is what he did."

Long, according to the Daily Beast, told law enforcement that he was struggling with sex addiction and described the massage parlors as "a temptation" that he that he "wanted to eliminate."

On social media, Baker's comments are inspiring a conversation about racism and criminal justice in the United States — and some Twitter users are observing that if the suspect were Black, a sheriff wouldn't be talking about the person having a "really bad day" when he was suspected of having just murdered eight people at random.

According to The Atlantic's Jemele Hill:

Angela Chen, a reporter for KESQ-TV — the ABC affiliate in Palm Springs, California — tweeted:

Here are some other reactions to Baker's comments:














From Your Site Articles
Related Articles Around the Web
Report typos and corrections to: feedback@alternet.org.
#story_page_post_article

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved.