Thursday, authorities in Georgia were searching for clues to the fatal shootings of eight people, including six Asian women, in a string of attacks in the Atlanta region which heightened outrage and fear over a recent uptick of hate crimes directed at Asian Americans.

The accused gunman, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, faces multiple counts of murder as well as aggravated assault. A Sheriff from Cherokee County, Frank Reynolds, said the suspect may have been a patron and claimed to have a "sex addiction".

In a news conference, investigators said Long admitted to the fatal shooting spree, denying that the attack was motivated by race.

Four of the victims were identified by officials as Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Tan, 49. Daoyou Feng, 44. Elcias R Hernandez-Ortiz were identified as having been injured.

However, authorities are not ruling out the possibility that the shooting spree was provoked by anti-immigrant or anti-Asian sentiments, or some other grievance, according to the BBC.

Additionally, the authorities noted that it is still too early to definitively state a motive.

In turn, the shootings triggered an outcry from advocates who condemned a rise in incidents of Asian discrimination and violence since the pandemic began.

An advocacy group which tracks violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders 'Stop AAPI Hate', acknowledged the motive was unclear, however, they noted "right now there is a great deal of fear and pain in the Asian American community that must be addressed".

They dubbed the shootings "an unspeakable tragedy" for both the victims' families and the Asian-American community, which has "been reeling from high levels of racist attacks".

Previously, advocates said the rise in attacks seemed related to Asians being blamed for the coronavirus pandemic, which originated in China.

Former President Donald Trump called the novel coronavirus the "China virus," the "China plague" and even the "kung flu".

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden tweeted, "We don’t yet know the motive, but what we do know is that the Asian-American community is feeling enormous pain tonight." 

Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said, "The horrific violence overnight in Georgia is another reminder of why we need urgently to address the fear gripping the Asian-American community, in part stemming from racist incidents related to the coronavirus pandemic."