WASHINGTON (GNB) – President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered flags at the White House and on federal grounds in the U.S. and abroad to be flown at half-staff after eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were fatally shot at spas near Atlanta.
The president directed the flags be lowered until sunset on March 22 “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence” on Tuesday.
“In honor of the victims of the senseless shootings in Atlanta, I’ve ordered the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff. To the loved ones of those we lost on Tuesday, know the nation mourns with you”, President Biden tweeted.
On Wednesday, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris expressed concerns about any violence against Asian Americans, with the President calling the shootings “very troubling.”
President Biden said on Twitter that he and first lady Dr. Jill Biden “are keeping everyone impacted by the shootings in Atlanta in our prayers.”
“We don’t yet know the motive, but what we do know is that the Asian-American community is feeling enormous pain tonight,” he tweeted. “The recent attacks against the community are un-American. They must stop.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said the shooting also spoke to the “larger issue” of violence. Harris said In her most formal remarks about the ongoing issue of violence against the Asian American community.
Police believe Robert Aaron Long, 21, is responsible for the rampage, and he was arrested 150 miles south of Atlanta after his family recognized him on surveillance footage posted online and alerted law enforcement. Long was charged Wednesday with eight counts of murder in the shootings.
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