US lawmaker calls for hate crime charges in Atlanta killings

Legislators visit Atlanta-area spas to pay tribute to victims of attacks that killed eight, including six Asian women.

A United States lawmaker is calling on authorities to lay hate crimes charges in relation to the deadly assault on spas in the Atlanta area this month, as a group of legislators visited the US city to pay tribute to the victims of the shooting rampage. Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were killed in the March 16 attacks on three separate spas. The killings sent shockwaves around the country and fuelled fears among Asian Americans, who have experienced an increase in hate and acts of violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.