Remembering 3/16: Gathering planned to remember Atlanta spa shootings
ATLANTA - Advocates for the metro Atlanta Asian community are planning a remembrance ceremony for the 8 people killed in the so-called spa murders 3 years ago.
On March 16, 2021, a 21-year-old man named Robert Aaron Long is accused of shooting 9 people at two spas and a massage parlor at Young's Asian Massage near Acworth, Gold Massage Spa and Aromatherapy Spa on Piedmont Road in northeast Atlanta.
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Eight people died, 7 women and 1 man, and the 9th person, a man, was injured in the shootings. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent. The others were a white woman and a white man. The survivor was a Hispanic man from Guatemala.
The victims at Young's Asian Massage were identified as Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; Xiaojie Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; and Paul Andre Michels, 54. The victims at the Gold Spa were Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; and Soon Chung Park, 74. The victim at Aromatherapy Spa was Yong Ae Yue, 63.
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After the first shooting, the Cherokee County Police Department released surveillance footage of the suspect shooter and Long's parents contact the police. While they were being interviewed, the Atlanta Police Department was responding to the 2nd and 3rd shootings.
Approximately 3 hours after the shootings, Long was spotted in Crisp County. Georgia State Patrol officers were able to stop his vehicle and take him into custody.
Long, who had undergone treatment for sexual addiction, was a customer at two of the massage parlors before the shootings, according to police.
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Long was charged with 8 counts of murder, split between Cherokee County and Atlanta. He pled guilty to the charges in Cherokee County and was sentenced to life in prison. After Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed court papers seeking the death penalty, Long pleaded not guilty in Fulton County.
The shootings were widely viewed as a hate crime against Asian Americans, especially because they happened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stop Asian Hate says there were 11,000 attacks on Asian Americans between March 2020 and December 2021.
However, Long may have also been motivated by the desire to strike back at sex workers because of his addiction.
The Atlanta Justice Movement is gathering to honor the victims at 5 p.m. March 16 at the Korean Community Center on Brook Hollow Parkway in Norcross. The event will feature Asian American leaders, activists, artists and community members.
Additionally, Georgia AAPI legislators and advocates will hold a press conference at the Georgia Capitol in Atlanta on March 14.
Last year: Atlanta-area spa shootings: Victims families to gather for day of healing
Other events are reportedly planned in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. There will be a livestream of the events.