At least eight people were found dead at three different spas in the Atlanta area Tuesday.
Police say video evidence led them to believe one suspect, Robert Aaron Long, was responsible for all three shootings. He was arrested Tuesday night about 150 miles south of Atlanta.
Here’s what we know so far:
About the shootings: The first shooting happened shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday at Young’s Asian Massage near Woodstock, Georgia, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. That shooting left four dead. One person was also wounded, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said. About an hour later, three people were found dead at the Gold Massage Spa on Piedmont Road in Atlanta, Police Chief Rodney Bryant said. One person was also found dead at the Aroma Therapy Spa, directly across the street.
The victims: Of those who died, six were Asian and two were White, Cherokee County sheriff’s officials said in a joint news conference with Atlanta police on Wednesday. All six Asian victims were women, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported earlier, citing authorities.
The four killed in the shooting near Woodstock were Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Tan, 49, of Kennesaw; and Daoyou Feng, 44.
The injured survivor was Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth, authorities said.
Police didn’t immediately release the names of the four people killed at the two Atlanta spas. Four of those killed were of Korean ethnicity, according to South Korea’s foreign ministry, which said it was in contact with its consulate in Atlanta.
The arrest: Cherokee County investigators found surveillance video of a suspect near the first scene and published it on social media. Long’s family saw the image and helped authorities identify him, Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said Wednesday.
Investigators tracked Long’s phone, and Reynolds reached out to authorities in Crisp County, well to the south, to let them know he appeared to be heading in that direction, Reynolds said. Long’s vehicle was spotted, a chase ensued on Interstate 75 in Crisp County, and a state trooper performed a maneuver that sent the SUV out of control, authorities said. Police arrested Long and confiscated a 9 mm gun from his vehicle, Cherokee County authorities said.
The suspect’s intentions: Preliminary information indicates the shootings could relate to the suspect’s claim of a potential sex addiction, Cherokee County authorities said Wednesday. Long told investigators he saw the spas as a …….
Source: https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/atlanta-area-shootings-03-17-21/index.html