Georgia spa shootings: Suspect charged with 8 counts of murder after deadly rampage
Authorities in metro Atlanta are investigating a series of shootings at massage parlors Tuesday that left eight people dead, including six Asian women.
The shooting at Young’s Asian Massage in Acworth, Georgia, left four people dead and one person injured, police said. Separate shootings occurred at two other spa parlors in Atlanta, where four more people were killed.
Here’s what we know so far about the suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, who is in police custody. He has been charged with eight counts of murder and faces one count of aggravated assault, authorities said.
Was it racially motivated?
Some have wondered whether the crimes could be racially motivated as police around the country report an uptick in attacks on Asian Americans during the coronavirus pandemic.
During a press conference Wednesday morning, Atlanta police and officials with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said Long told investigators the killings were driven by “sex addiction” issues rather than racial animus.
But police said it’s too early in the investigation to rule out a hate crime motivation.
“We’re just not there as of yet,” Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said.
The victims of the shooting in Cherokee County have been identified. They are:
- Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth
- Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta
- Xiaojie Yan, 49, of Kennesaw
- Daoyou Feng, 44, (unknown address)
Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth was injured.
Planned to go to Florida
Authorities say Long acted alone in the crimes and had planned to go to Florida to possibly carry out more shootings.
Detectives tracked him through his GPS, they say, and he was arrested by Crisp County deputies in south Georgia on Tuesday night.
Family cooperating with police
Long’s family has been “fully cooperative” with investigators, officials said.
The family contacted police when they heard about the shootings on the news, Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said.
Frequented local spas
Police said Long has frequented “similar” spa parlors in the past, but they did not say whether he visited the three spas where the shootings took place.
Lives in Georgia
Long reportedly lives in Woodstock, Georgia, about 30 minutes north of Atlanta.
The city is home to about 35,000 people.
Ties to Baptist church
Long had ties to the Crabapple First Baptist Church in Milton, Georgia, according to Storyful.
The outlet pointed to minutes from the church’s “annual member meeting celebration” in 2018, which described Long as part of the student ministry team. Storyful released a video that reportedly shows Long playing percussion at a church event.
A Facebook page associated with the church has been deleted.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 11:10 AM with the headline "Georgia spa shootings: Suspect charged with 8 counts of murder after deadly rampage."