Officer Who Said Atlanta Spa Shooter Was Having A ‘Bad Day’ Promoted Racist Covid-19 Shirt On Facebook - Forbes

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Topline

Jay Baker, a Georgia sheriff’s captain criticized for minimizing the actions of the Atlanta spa shooter, posted racist Covid-19 T-shirts on Facebook earlier this year.

Key Facts

In Facebook posts from late March and April last year, Baker posted photos of T-shirts bearing the legend that Covid-19 is an “imported virus from CHY-NA” along with a biohazard symbol, the Daily Beast first reported.

The posts were removed from Baker's profile after the Daily Beast and BuzzFeed News published stories about it, and then less than an hour later, his entire Facebook page was deleted.

Baker was criticized for downplaying the role anti-Asian bias may have played in the shootings after he noted during a press conference that the shooter claimed the attacks weren’t racially motivated, adding that “yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did.”

Baker did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Key Background

Police said 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long admitted responsibility for killing eight people Tuesday, including six Asian women, in a shooting spree at Atlanta-area spas. Authorities say the investigation is still in its early stages, but they said Long professed to being motivated to quell a sex addiction by eliminating “temptations.” Many are skeptical of the claim that race wasn’t a factor. “Having one possible motive does not negate other motives,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said on Twitter. “If the murderer’s temptations are Asian women and he kills them, that’s racially motivated,” he added.

Tangent

The idea that China is responsible for coronavirus was a common refrain for former President Donald Trump throughout the pandemic. He frequently referred to Covid-19 as the “China virus” or the “Wuhan flu” even after backlash from public health experts. White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said Wednesday that Trump’s rhetoric created an environment of heightened violence against Asain-Americans during the pandemic.

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Officer Who Said Atlanta Spa Shooter Was Having A ‘Bad Day’ Promoted Racist Covid-19 Shirt On Facebook - Forbes
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