North Fulton church removes accused spa shooter from membership roster

Crabapple First Baptist Church, where the Atlanta shooting suspect Robert Aaron Long was an active member, in Milton, Ga., March 17, 2021. The man accused of killing eight people at spas was a churchgoer who told officers he was addicted to sex. Parts of evangelical culture imply that sexual sins are more serious than others. (Nicole Craine/The New York Times)

Crabapple First Baptist Church, where the Atlanta shooting suspect Robert Aaron Long was an active member, in Milton, Ga., March 17, 2021. The man accused of killing eight people at spas was a churchgoer who told officers he was addicted to sex. Parts of evangelical culture imply that sexual sins are more serious than others. (Nicole Craine/The New York Times)

A north Fulton County church has voted to remove accused killer Robert Aaron Long from its membership after a shooting spree that left eight people dead, including six women of Asian ancestry.

Following its Sunday morning service, Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton said it “completed the process of church discipline to remove Robert Aaron Long from membership since we can no longer affirm that he is truly a regenerate believer in Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 5).”

Long, 21, has been charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting spree. The church has previously condemned the deadly shooting, calling it “antithetical to everything that we believe and teach as a church.”

“No blame can be placed upon the victims,” the church said. “He alone is responsible for his evil actions and desires. The women that he solicited for sexual acts are not responsible for his perverse sexual desires nor do they bear any blame in these murders. These actions are the result of a sinful heart and depraved mind for which Aaron is completely responsible.”

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