Eight people are dead — six of them believed to be Asian women — and another is wounded after a series of shootings at Atlanta-area spas, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The suspected shooter is in custody. Victims have not been publicly identified by any official sources. There is no official word on motive yet either, but the attacks come amid a historic wave of anti-Asian racism, a phenomenon that NBC News reported just yesterday was affecting women more than men.

Shortly after that attack, according to the Journal-Constitution, two other establishments in northeast Atlanta were also attacked, resulting in another four people killed. Three women were killed at Gold Spa and another at Aromatherapy; authorities said all four were believed to be of Asian descent.

While victims have not yet been officially publicly identified, the Journal-Constitution reported that diplomats from South Korea’s foreign ministry had confirmed with local police four of the women were of Korean descent.

Karthick Ramakrishnan, who founded the nonprofit AAPI Data, told NBC News that factors like poverty stemming from the pandemic could also be contributing to dire situations for Asian Americans.

“There’s a complex variety of factors, but the fundamental reality is that there’s an increase in the number of Asian Americans who feel unsafe,” Ramakrishnan told NBC News.

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