Georgia lawmakers to honor Fulton County victims of 2021 spa shootings today
State Representative Long Tran and members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Caucus will hold a press conference this afternoon at the Georgia State Capitol to honor the victims killed during the March 16, 2021, shooting spree.
The backstory
The 2021 Atlanta spa shootings were a series of deadly attacks on March 16, 2021, in which a gunman targeted three massage parlors in the Atlanta metropolitan area, killing eight people, including six Asian women. The attacks occurred at Young's Asian Massage in Acworth, Gold Spa in Atlanta, and Aromatherapy Spa in Atlanta.
The victims were Delainia Ashley Yaun, 33, Xiaojie Tan, 49, Daoyou Feng, 44, Paul Andre Michels, 54, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, Hyun Jung Grant, 51, Soon Chung Park, 74, Suncha Kim, 69, and Yong Ae Yue, 63.
The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, was arrested later that day in Crisp County. Authorities stated that Long, a 21-year-old white man, claimed his actions were driven by a "sex addiction" and a desire to eliminate what he saw as a source of temptation. However, the shootings were widely seen as racially motivated due to the disproportionate targeting of Asian victims, amid rising anti-Asian sentiment in the U.S.
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Long was later charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault. He pleaded guilty to four murders in Cherokee County and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
The Fulton County District Attorney's Office has stated that it plans to seek the death penalty, which Long is attempting to avoid. During a hearing on Monday, a Fulton County judge ruled statements Long made after his arrest and during his guilty plea in Cherokee County can be used during his Fulton County trial.
RELATED: Atlanta spa shooter appears in Fulton County courtroom
Other Events
The Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Coalition and Asian Youth Center (Stop Hate Program) will be hosting "Remembering Atlanta Spa Shootings, Local Asian Hate Crimes and Asian Communities Challenges" from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 15 at Rosemead Community Recreation Center, 3936 N. Muscatel Ave.
Elected officials, entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and community leaders will commemorate the fourth anniversary of the deadly shootings at Atlanta-area spas. Click here for more information.
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