A total of eight people, including four Koreans, were killed in a shooting incident against Asians in Atlanta, USA. Last night, the police are investigating the suspect. The suspect has been reported locally as stating that it was not a hate crime against Asians in a police investigation.
Correspondent Yunsoo Kim is out at the crime scene, Atlanta, USA. Correspondent Kim, the suspect is known to have stated that it is not a racial hate crime against Asians. Is there any progress in the investigation overnight?
<기자>
You can see a sign called Spa behind me.
Four Korean Americans were shot and killed last night at two massage parlors here.
First, the local police charged the suspect with murder and assault overnight.
However, this was the first shooting incident, and investigations are still underway on the case where four Korean Americans were killed.
During the night, the suspect was known to have claimed that this was not a hate crime targeting Asians.
This is a claim that I felt sexual temptation because of the female worker at this massage parlor, and committed it to get rid of it.
But witnesses at the crime scene yesterday are known to have testified that the victim said,’I will kill all Asians’ while shooting.
Hate crimes are highly suspicious, so why not lie to avoid increased sentences?
Police only say they are still investigating the exact motives of the crime.
Local police also revealed that the suspect had planned a similar crime by going down to Florida after the Atlanta crime.
<앵커>
It seems that Koreans in the region are also very anxious. How is the atmosphere there right now?
<기자>
As you can see behind me, the local media also come to the scene here and report the incident with great weight.
The memorial bouquets stand out everywhere.
Not far from here, there are many Korean merchants and residences.
As a result, the anxiety in the Korean community is also growing considerably.
In particular, Georgia, which is located in the south, is a place where it is relatively easy to possess guns compared to other states, so there is a growing concern that anyone can be a victim.
Currently, is it okay to keep the store open for the Korean American circuit in Atlanta?
In a word, it’s an upbeat atmosphere.
Georgian Korean congressmen and local Korean associations organized emergency response teams to prevent recurrence and support victims.