US Police Officer Who Defended Mass Shooter Previously Posted Racist Content on Facebook

Jay Baker, spokesperson for the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, who posted a racist post on Facebook in the past
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] Controversy has erupted after local police in Atlanta, Georgia, appeared to defend Aaron Long (21), who indiscriminately opened fire on eight Asian women, including four Korean American women, by saying "he had a really bad day." In particular, it was revealed that the officer had previously shared racist posts on Facebook.

Earlier, at a press conference on the 17th (local time), Jay Baker described the suspect by saying, "He was very tired and kind of at a dead end," and "Yesterday was a really bad day for him," remarks that seemed to defend the suspect, sparking public outrage.

Moreover, it was later revealed that he had shown racist behavior in the past, leading to criticism that his recent remarks were not a mistake.

A photo of a T-shirt posted by Jay Baker on his Facebook. Photo by Jay Baker

Jay Baker, the lead investigator of the shooting case, posted an image of a T-shirt on his Facebook in April last year that read "Coronavirus imported from CHY-NA."

Along with the photo, he wrote, "I love my shirt" and "You should buy one while supplies last." The T-shirt also featured a "COVID19" logo designed to resemble the beer brand "Corona."

The Washington Post (WP) reported that this was influenced by former President Donald Trump and politicians who used offensive terms like "Kung Flu" or "Chinese virus." The Associated Press (AP) reported that attempts to contact Baker for an explanation were unsuccessful.

After these facts came to light, voices have emerged calling for Baker's resignation, labeling him a racist police officer investigating a case that could be a hate crime.

Suspect Robert Aaron Long in the Atlanta, USA Serial Shooting Incident
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, on the 18th (local time), AP and other outlets reported that the Atlanta police do not rule out hate crime charges against Robert Aaron Long (21), the suspect in the Atlanta shooting that left eight victims, including six Asian women, among them Korean Americans.

Charles Hampton, Deputy Chief of Atlanta Police, emphasized in response to the question, "Is the police investigation considering the possibility of a hate crime in this case?" by saying, "Our investigation is looking at everything," and "Nothing is off the table in our investigation."

Previously, after his arrest, Long claimed sex addiction as his motive during the initial police investigation, and the police announced the suspect's statement as is, which sparked controversy. This led to criticism within the U.S. that the police were trying to obscure the nature of the hate crime by attributing it to sex addiction.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.