Sheriff says he regrets 'heartache' caused by spokesman's comments on Georgia spa shooting

Capt. Jay Baker.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds issued a statement on Thursday saying the department regrets "any heartache" caused by the remarks of a spokesman, Capt. Jay Baker, who said the suspect in three shootings at Asian spas in Georgia was having "a bad day."

The shootings left eight people dead, including four victims at Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County. During a Wednesday press conference, Baker said the suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, told officers he had a "sex addiction," and was "fed up, at the end of his rope." Long, he continued, was "having a bad day, and this is what he did." Baker's remarks were immediately criticized for being insensitive.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.