Robert Aaron Long, suspected in serial shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Reuters Yonhap News
A devout Christian is a shooting terrorist.
On the 16th (local time), as the actions of Robert Aaron Long, 21, a suspected serial shooting incident in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, were released one after another, their families and acquaintances were unable to hide their shock. This is because I couldn’t even imagine that an ordinary young man in his twenties, who was usually a devout and quiet person, would be involved in a’hate crime’.
According to US media reports on the 17th, Long was raised in a middle-class family in Woodstock, Cherokee County, Georgia. Neighbors testified that there were no problems with Long’s family, except for attending church faithfully. The likelihood of family discord seems to be low. His grandmother, who lives in Tennessee, told CNN that “Long is still my grandson, and I still love him.”
Actually, Long was introverted, but he was as active as in his life of faith. In 2018, a testimony video was posted on the Facebook account of the church he attended, stating that “I was saved through faith”. High school alumni Niko Strauhan recalled, “Long always carried a Bible in his hand at school.” Another alumni, Emily Voigit, said, “Long is very shy and has few close friends to talk to.”
It is estimated that the change occurred about two years ago. The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, which is in charge of shooting investigations, said that in 2019, Long’s parents had filed a report of their son’s disappearance. At that time, Long sent a text message to his parents saying, “I want to start a new life,” and “I will not return home again,” saying that he was leaving with his girlfriend, and it was revealed that he disappeared. At the time, the parents told the police that “the son did not suffer from mental illness and did not take any special medicines.”
However, it is known that Long was having problems with sex addiction without his parents knowing. He was confirmed to have been treated at the Maverick Rehabilitation Center in Roswell, Georgia for about half a year since August 2019. Tyler Baileys, who used to be a suspect and a roommate at the time, told the broadcast that “Long, unlike other residents who came in for alcohol or drug abuse, entered the hospital to treat sex addiction.” “I went to the massage shop while Long was living at the center. The disease has recurred.” The investigative authorities also seem to be driving Long’s motives to sexual deviance based on these troops.
Park Ji-young reporter [email protected]
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