8 dead in shootings at 3 massage parlors across metro Atlanta

Officials have captured a man suspected in one of three shootings across metro Atlanta that left eight people dead Tuesday.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, was identified as the suspect in the shooting at Young’s Asian Massage Parlor in Cherokee County that left four people dead and one person injured, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. He was captured Tuesday night in Crisp County, about 150 miles south of Atlanta.


The deadly shooting near Acworth took place around 5 p.m., according to the Cherokee sheriff’s office. Five people were shot, with two declared dead at the scene and three taken to the hospital with injuries. Two of those injured later died at the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.

Less than two hours later, four more people were killed in shootings at two separate massage parlors near one another on Piedmont Road, according to interim Atlanta police Chief Rodney Bryant. Piedmont Road was shut down in both directions as police investigated at the two businesses: Aromatherapy Spa and Gold Spa.

Police first responded to Gold Spa, where they found three women dead from gunshot wounds inside the business, spokesman Sgt. John Chafee said. While investigating the scene, officers were called across the street to another shooting at Aromatherapy Spa, where they found another woman dead from a gunshot wound inside.

Although no suspects have been captured in northeast Atlanta, there is no immediate danger to the public, Bryant told Channel 2 Action News.

Officials have said it is too early to tell whether the incidents are connected, but the shootings took place at spas where a majority of the employees are Asian. Atlanta police said that all four victims on Piedmont Road appeared to be Asian women. Officers have been dispatched to check nearby similar businesses and patrols have been increased in the area, Chafee said.



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