"An unspeakable tragedy": Asian American community reacts to deadly spa shootings in Georgia
CBSN
A series of shootings in Georgia on Tuesday night has left many Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders feeling "heartbroken" and "frightened."
Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were shot and killed at three Atlanta-area spas, and another man was wounded. A suspect, identified as 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, is custody for the deadly shootings at Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County and two Atlanta businesses, Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa, which are across the street from each other. Officials said at a Wednesday morning press briefing that the suspect took responsibility but claimed it wasn't racially motivated.Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.