Petition to Dismiss Atlanta Police Officer Who Showed Sympathy to Shooter by Saying "Bad Day"

Jay Baker Facing Dismissal Petition Movement
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choyoung Kim] A police officer who made a sympathetic remark saying "He had a really bad day" about the suspect in a shooting incident in Atlanta, USA, that took the lives of eight people including four Korean Americans, is facing a petition for dismissal.

On the world's largest petition site, Change.org, a petition demanding the dismissal of Jay Baker, spokesperson for the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office in Georgia, USA, was posted on the 18th, two days after the incident occurred.

The petition quickly surpassed its target of 150,000 signatures, gaining over 78,000 supporters within three days of its launch on the 21st.

The petitioner, Tate Lee, pointed out, "Baker has shown racial prejudice against the Asian community, as evidenced by posting racist content on social media," and added, "Baker pledged to protect the residents of Cherokee County, but his racial prejudice has put the Asian members of the community at risk."

Lee also added, "Baker's adopted brother has one parent of Vietnamese descent and currently serves as a judge in the Georgia State Superior Court. I wonder what this brother thinks."

At a briefing on the 17th, spokesperson Baker referred to the suspect Robert Long, saying, "He was completely exhausted and kind of at a dead end. Yesterday was a really bad day for him," describing the day of the suspect who shot Asian women as a "bad day," which drew public criticism.

In particular, the controversy grew after it was revealed that he had posted a photo of a T-shirt mocking China related to COVID-19 on his Facebook. As the controversy escalated, Erica Neldner, Director of Communications for Cherokee County, stated on the 18th that she would handle media responses regarding the investigation of the shooting incident.

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