Kamala Harris expresses 'solidarity' with Asian-American community following horrific Atlanta spa shootings

The Atlanta area was rocked by disturbing violence this week when a shooter carried out a series of attacks on Asian spas, killing eight people — six of whom were Asian. Police have found a suspect: 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, although the shootings are still being investigated. Vice President Kamala Harris discussed the attack during a news briefing on Wednesday, expressing her solidarity with the United States' Asian-American community.

The vice president told reporters, "I do want to talk about what happened in Georgia, in Atlanta. It is tragic. Our country, the president and I and all of us, we grieve for the loss. Our prayers are extended to the families of those who have been killed. It speaks to a larger issue, which is the issue of violence in our country and what we must do to never tolerate it and to always speak out against it."

The 56-year-old vice president, herself the daughter of immigrants — a mother from India and a father from Jamaica — continued, "The investigation is ongoing. We don't yet know, we're not yet clear about the motive. But I do want to say to our Asian-American community that we stand with you and understand how this has frightened and shocked and outraged all people. But knowing the increasing level of hate crime against our Asian-American — our brothers and sisters — we also want to speak out in solidarity with them and acknowledge that none of us should ever be silent in the face of any form of hate."