Mallory Rahman and her daughter Zara Rahman, 4, who live nearby, pause after bringing flowers to Gold Spa in Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon, the day after eight people were killed at three massage spas in the Atlanta area. Authorities have arrested 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long in the shootings at massage parlors in Atlanta and one in Cherokee County.
Ben Gray / Associated Press
Government officials, law enforcement officers and nonprofit leaders from across Georgia are speaking out after a deadly shooting spree Tuesday at three Atlanta-area spa locations left eight people dead.
During a press conference Wednesday morning, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms described the shootings as targeted and tragic.
“Yesterday was a tragic day across our state,” Bottoms said. “As many of you all know, there were several victims who were tragically killed on yesterday, and our thoughts and prayers remain with those families.”
Bottoms then praised the work of local law enforcement officers for their collaborative work to bring the suspect into custody and mentioned that she’s been in contact with President Joe Biden.
Bottoms also said officials are working to ensure that communities across the city have the resources they need to stop crime.
“A crime against any community is a crime against us all,” said Bottoms.
Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant and Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds also spoke during the press conference, explaining that it’s too early to determine whether the shootings were racially motivated.
Authorities arrested Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, Georgia, on Tuesday night in connection to a deadly shooting spree at three Atlanta-area spas. (Courtesy of The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office)
“We are still early in this investigation,” Bryant said. “So we cannot make that determination at this moment.”
On Twitter, Gov. Brian Kemp sent out condolences and called for justice Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, tweeting that his family is praying for all of the victims’ families and their loved ones.
According to a press release from the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, the first shooting happened Tuesday just before 5 p.m. at Young’s Asians Massage Parlor, on Highway 92 near Bells Ferry in Cherokee County.
Deputies say Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, Georgia, walked into the parlor and shot five people, killing four.
Authorities identified the deceased victims as Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Paul Andre Michels, 54; Xiaojie Yan, 49; and Daoyou Feng, 44. They say Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, was injured.
Investigators say after the shooting at Young’s Asians Massage Parlor, Long then drove to Atlanta, roughly 30 miles south of the first shooting scene, and shot and killed three more people at the Gold Spa on Piedmont Road.
They say Long then went across the street and shot and killed a fourth person at the Aromatherapy Spa.
Sheriff Reynolds says Long remains in custody at Cherokee County Adult Detention Center and is expected to be arraigned Thursday.
Authorities say, during questioning, Long told them he had a sex addiction and wanted to stop his temptations.
“He made indicators that he has some issues, potentially sexual addiction, and may have frequented some of the places in the past,” Reynolds said.
State Rep. Bee Nguyen, who represents District 89, was a guest on Wednesday’s edition of “Closer Look.”
She told show host Rose Scott that the concerns of Atlanta’s Asian American community have been overlooked for too long and that sexualization of Asian women must stop.
“This is not new, the hate against AAPIs (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) in this country and that we have seen an increase of hate crimes in the last year,” Nguyen said. “They have increased by 150%. And of those that are reported, the majority of them are Asian American women who are the victims, 68% Asian American women.”
Nguyen went on to say that she believes the suspect accused in the shooting spree intentionally targeted the victims and that her top priority in the coming days is to rally support around the families of the victims.
“It is very clear that he went to three Asian businesses and that six Asian women were killed, and whether or not the alleged suspect in custody admits that it was motivated by race, whether he admits it was racial motivation, it does not take away from the fact that it was a very targeted killing,” Nguyen said.
