Community remembers victims of Atlanta spa shootings 4 years later

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Dozens gathered Sunday to mark four years since a gunman killed eight people at spas and massage parlors in Fulton and Cherokee counties. 

Community activists gathered at the Norcross Community Center to remember the victims and work towards solutions together. 

What they're saying:

"It's important for us to continue to commemorate this day to honor these victims and make sure that they didn't lose their lives in vain; that some positive change will come out of it," said State Rep. Long Tran. 

Sunday marked four years since a gunman shot and killed eight people at three spas. Six of the victims were Asian-American women. 

"Middle-aged Asian-American women. For the most part, citizens and permanent residents of the United States. They were working hard to support their families," said Bonnie Youn, past president of the Georgia Asian American Pacific Bar Association. 

The victims in the Atlanta-area spa shootings.

Those gathered took part in roundtable table discussions on topics like gun violence and gender-based violence prevention - working to come up with solutions to reduce the amount of anti-Asian hate and violence, which activists say is still a growing problem. 

"The reporting of violence against AAPI communities continues to be just as alarming as it has in the past. And unfortunately, with the current political climate, that may worsen yet again," Youn said. 

Dig deeper:

Organizers also encouraged those in attendance to contact their local, state, and national representatives and demand more action on gun violence. 

Tran says there have been some positive changes that have come about from this tragedy, such as more Asian-American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) have been elected to the state legislature. 

"Prior to 2022, we only had five AAPI's in the legislature, and we elected six more. And I think part of that is due to the spa shootings that woke folks up," Tran said. 

State Rep. Long Tran took place in an event to remember the victims of the Atlanta-area spa shootings. (FOX 5)

But he says there’s still a lot that needs to be addressed in Georgia to ensure more people like those six women aren’t targeted just for their identity.  

"I don't think we're addressing mental health enough, especially among our kids. And so we're taking tiny steps in the right direction, but we still have a ways to go," he said. 

"People need to understand we are Americans. We are Georgians, too .... We are part of the fabric of America," Youn said. 

The backstory:

Robert Long is accused of going on a killing spree at three spas in Fulton and Cherokee Counties on March 16, 2021.

According to prosecutors, Long admitted to investigators he was drunk and said he was planning to go to the massage parlors due to his sex addiction before he planned on shooting himself.

Long pleaded guilty to the shootings in Cherokee County and is now serving a life sentence without parole.

Robert Aaron Long in court (FOX 5)

He is still awaiting trial in Fulton County, where prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.  

Long appeared in court last Monday for a motions hearing in his long-awaited trial in Fulton County. 

During that hearing, a judge ruled that statements he made after his arrest and during his guilty plea in Cherokee County could be used against him in that trial.