Robert Aaron Long, 21, is jailed in connection with the shootings in Cherokee County, Georgia and the two others in Atlanta.
He has long claimed responsibility for the shooting in Cherokee County, where he is accused of murder and aggravated assault on four occasions, according to the sheriff’s office. He has also been charged with four more murders, Atlanta police said.
The suspect told police he believed he had a sex addiction and that he saw the spas as “a temptation … that he wanted to eliminate,” Cherokee County Sheriff’s Captain Jay Baker said.
But Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said it is too early to know a motive, and Cherokee County District Attorney Shannon Wallace said the investigation is ongoing and appropriate charges will be filed.
When asked if Long could be charged with hate crimes, Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said everything is still under investigation and they will allow the evidence to lead them to a logical conclusion.
While FBI Director Christopher Wray said the attacks do not appear to be racially motivated, advocacy groups have argued it is too early to make that decision. And shootings don’t have to be racially motivated to be a hate crime in Georgia.
If Long were to attack women for hatred of them or scapegoat them for his own problems, it could potentially be a hate crime.
The communities and the nation grapple with fear and sorrow
Flowers line the businesses that have been the scene of devastating violence, but as the increased hatred affects Asians and Asian Americans, the emotional toll has been felt across the country.
“Such brutal, unscrupulous acts of violence are cutting our country’s core and the values on which it is founded,” former Transport Minister Elaine Chao said on Thursday. “While we await the findings of a thorough investigation, the critical work to combat the terrifying rise of hatred against the AAPI community must be intensified with the immediacy of this latest tragedy.”
During a vigil outside Young’s Asian Spa on Thursday, Sheriff Reynolds told reporters that he had come to the candlelight vigil to let the Asian-American community know that “ we have them in our hearts and prayers and we are so sorry for the loss of life. . ”
A vigil was also held outside Gold Spa in Atlanta.
President Joe Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Thursday to honor the victims. Biden also plans to visit Atlanta on Friday to meet Mayor Bottoms, as well as Asian Americans and Pacific Islander leaders, said Georgia State Rep. Bee Nguyen.
One of the issues they will raise is concerns that the shootings are being taken “seriously” and seen as a hate crime against Asians and not dismissed as the suspect having a “bad day,” Nguyen said.
“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of those we have lost and our nation mourns with you,” he said.
What we know about the victims
Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, from Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, from Atlanta; Xiaojie Tan, 49, from Kennesaw; and Daoyou Feng, 44, were all shot at Youngs Asian Massage in Cherokee County.
Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth, was also shot in the spa, but survived.
Three more victims were found dead at Gold Massage Spa in Atlanta, and another victim was found dead across the street at Aroma Therapy Spa.
The names of those four victims have not yet been released by the authorities.
Three of the victims were 52, 75, and 64 years old, according to years of birth listed in an Atlanta police incident report.
“We need to make sure that we have real verification of their identity and that we notify the appropriate next of kin,” Charles Hampton Jr., Atlanta deputy police chief, said Wednesday.
How the attacks unfolded
On Tuesday, shortly before 5:00 p.m., delegates were called to Youngs Asian Massage, which is located between the towns of Woodstock and Acworth, Georgia, after reports of a shooting, the Cherokee County sheriff said.
The shooting killed four people and injured one person, Captain Baker said.
About an hour later and 30 miles away, Atlanta police responded to the Gold Massage Spa on Piedmont Road in Atlanta. Police said they found three people dead.
While there, police received another call from shots across the street at the Aroma Therapy Spa, where they found one person dead, Bryant said.
Investigators found surveillance video of a suspect near the Cherokee County scene and posted images on social media.
“(The relatives) are very distraught, and they were very helpful in dealing with these fears,” Reynolds said.
CNN’s Holly Yan, Amir Vera, Gisela Crespo, Amanda Watts, Stephen Collinson, Audrey Ash, Casey Tolan, Nicquel Ellis, Nicole Chavez, Artemis Moshtaghian, Raja Razek, Jamiel Lynch and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.