By: Alyssa Wilson

In a Wednesday press conference about the Atlanta spa shootings that claimed the life of eight people, Captain Jay Baker with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department said the shooter had a “bad day.” 

RELATED: Atlanta spa shooting suspect charged with murder, blames sex addiction

If this murderer were Muslim, Black, or basically anything other than white, there is no way killing innocent people would be characterized as “having a bad day.”

pic.twitter.com/BmYEDTnarK

— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) March 17, 2021

Since those comments were made, the sheriff’s department has been facing backlash and calls for Baker to resign. 

According to Buzzfeed News, Baker shared an image on Facebook in April 2020 of a tee-shirt he purchased. The shirt featured the Corona beer label with the phrase, “Covid 19 IMPORTED VIRUS FROM CHY-NA.”

Many took to social media to express displeasure with Baker’s comments and alleged racist shirt. 

Cherokee Sheriff’s office spokesman, Jay Baker, has ties to Blackwater and promoted racist T-shirts with the slogan “COVID-19 imported virus from CHY-NA.”

No wonder he trivialized the murder of 8 Asian people and blamed it on mass murderer, Robert Aaron Long, having “a bad day.” pic.twitter.com/qxIdKhRZun

— Bishop Talbert Swan (@TalbertSwan) March 18, 2021

Officer Jay Baker should not be employed by the end of this day.

— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) March 18, 2021

This racist skinhead cop Jay Baker motherfucker has got to go now, like yesterday now… #StopAAPIHate #StopAsianHateCrimes

— John DiMaggio (@TheJohnDiMaggio) March 17, 2021

On Thursday afternoon, the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release about Baker’s comments saying, “In as much as his words were taken or construed as insensitive or inappropriate, they were not intended to disrespect any of the victims, the gravity of this tragedy, or express empathy or sympathy for the suspect.” 

The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department issued a press release about the “bad day” comment made by Captain Jay Baker.

It was later announced that Baker will no longer be the spokesperson for the case.

NEW:Confirmed w Cherokee Sheriff that Cpt.Baker will no longer be spokesperson on spa shootings case,they’re evaluating what his future at the Sheriff’s Office looks like and consulting the D.A.’s office to see if they should hand their portion of case to GBI See you at 6 @wsbtv https://t.co/cI1sQHcrRV

— Nicole Carr (@NicoleFCarr) March 18, 2021

The shooter, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, is in custody at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center. He did not appear in court Thursday. 

The Atlanta Police Department held a press conference to give an update on their investigation, which is separate from the one in Cherokee County. 

The shootings at the three spas resulted in the death of six Asian women at a time when attacks against Asians have been on the rise. 

Georgia law enforcement officers and the FBI are investigating three shootings at massage parlors in the Atlanta area.

RELATED: Stop Asian Hate: Atlanta shootings igniting renewed calls to end violence

Long has been charged with eight counts of murder and one count of assault. 

Authorities say it is too early to determine if this is a hate crime and Long told police the shootings were not racially motivated but instead an attempt for him to end his sexual addiction. Mayor Bottoms said, “it looked like a hate crime.” 

The Cherokee County case victims have been identified as 33-year-old Delaina Ashley Yaun, 54-year-old Paul Andre Michels, 49-year-old Xiaojie Tan and 44-year-old Daoyou Feng, according to WSB. 

Elcias R. Hernandez was injured in the shooting. He remains in the hospital in the intensive care unit. 

The Fulton County Medical Examiner identified the other four victims as 74-year-old Soon C. Park, 51-year-old Hyun J. Grant, 69-year-old Suncha Kim, and 63-year-old Yong A. Yue.