Cherokee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Captain Jay Baker. Photo / Getty Images
Cherokee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Captain Jay Baker. Photo / Getty Images
A Georgia sheriff's office captain has been replaced as the spokesman in the investigation into the recent massage parlour slayings after the spokesman drew widespread outrage for saying the suspect in the killings had had a "really bad day."
Cherokee County Communications Director Erika Neldner announced in a statement on Thursday that she will be handling media inquiries related to Cherokee County Sheriff's Office's investigation into Tuesday's slayings.
Robert Aaron Long is pictured in a jail booking photo. Photo / Getty Images
The statement did not give details about the status of Cherokee County Sheriff's Office spokesman Captain Jay Baker, who was criticised for saying during a news conference Wednesday that the 21-year-old suspect had had "a really bad day" and "this is what he did."
Authorities have charged Robert Aaron Long with eight counts of murder for the slayings, four of which occurred at a massage parlour in Cherokee County. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent.
Earlier Thursday, Sheriff Frank Reynolds issued a statement acknowledging that some of Baker's comments stirred "much debate and anger" and said the agency regrets any "heartache" caused by his words.
Some activists had called for Baker to be fired over both his comments and the discovery of a 2020 Facebook post that Baker appeared to have written to promote a T-shirt with racist language about China and the coronavirus.
Neither Reynolds nor Baker has commented on the post, which was taken down Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, several Georgia Democratic lawmakers of Asian descent held a press conference at the state Capitol to denounce crimes against members of the Asian community, including the recent killings at Atlanta-area massage parlours.
State Rep. Sam Park said Asian Americans over the past year have experienced a "surge" in attacks due to "racist political rhetoric and scapegoating."
"Now is the time for all of us to come together, unequivocally condemn racism and misogyny, and take meaningful action to protect the vulnerable and prevent these horrific mass shootings from continuing to take place in our country," Park said on Thursday.
Flowers adorn Gold Spa during a demonstration against violence towards women and Asians following Tuesday night's shooting. Photo / Getty Images
State Sen. Michelle Au had warned of a rise in attacks on Asian Americans in a speech on the state Senate floor Monday, a day before the spa shootings killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent.
On Thursday, Au called for enhanced gun safety legislation, better data collection about crimes against minority communities and increased awareness of discrimination against women and people of Asian descent.
"These problems we're facing right now are not new," Au said, referring to misogyny, anti-Asian discrimination and gun violence. "What can be new is how we deal with it in this moment, and I want to implore our community and our fellow legislators to not let this moment go by."
