On March 16, 2021, a gunman killed eight people—six of them women of Asian descent—and wounded a ninth at two spas and a massage parlor in the Atlanta area. Robert Aaron Long was arrested hours later and pleaded guilty to the Cherokee County killings, receiving life without parole; he faces separate Fulton County charges including hate crime enhancements and the death penalty.
Young's Asian Massage (Hwy 92, Acworth, Georgia) — Credit: Mapillary user lvl5 · CC BY-SA 4.0
On the afternoon of March 16, 2021, a shooting spree unfolded at three businesses in the metropolitan Atlanta area, killing eight people and wounding a ninth. The attacks began around 3:38 p.m. at Young's Asian Massage near Acworth in Cherokee County, where the gunman fatally shot Paul Andre Michels, Daoyou Feng, Xiaojie Tan, and Delaina Ashley Yaun González, and wounded another man. Roughly an hour later, shootings occurred at Gold Massage Spa and Aromatherapy Spa on Piedmont Road in northeast Atlanta, about 30 miles away, killing Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Soon Chung Park, and Yong Ae Yue. Six of the eight people killed were women of Asian descent; the ninth victim, a Hispanic man from Guatemala, survived a gunshot wound.
The suspect, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia, was identified after his parents recognized him from surveillance footage and contacted authorities, noting that his vehicle carried a tracking device. Long was located in Crisp County, about 150 miles south of Atlanta, and taken into custody that evening after a PIT maneuver ended a pursuit on Interstate 75. He was initially charged in connection with the Cherokee County shooting and later identified as a suspect in the Piedmont Road shootings as well.
Long told police his actions stemmed from a self-described sexual addiction that conflicted with his religious beliefs, and that he had targeted spas he had previously patronized for paid sex, intending to "eliminate the temptation." He denied that race played a role. This account was publicly disputed by numerous organizations, including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Chinese for Affirmative Action, and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, as well as by U.S. Representatives Marilyn Strickland and Bee Nguyen, South Korean media, and victims' families, who noted that six of the eight victims were Asian women amid a documented rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Long was indicted on 19 counts in Fulton County, including murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and domestic terrorism, and on 23 counts in Cherokee County, including malice murder, felony murder, and aggravated assault. On July 27, 2021, he pleaded guilty to the Cherokee County charges and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole; Cherokee County's district attorney stated investigators found no evidence of racial bias. Fulton County prosecutors later announced they would seek the death penalty and pursue hate crime designations based on race and gender for the Piedmont Road shootings; Long pleaded not guilty to those charges on September 28, 2021.
The shootings drew national and international attention, contributing to the Stop Asian Hate movement, prompting congressional passage of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, and generating scrutiny of a sheriff's captain's public remarks describing the shooter as having had "a really bad day," which drew criticism after his own past social media posts containing anti-Chinese sentiment came to light.
Daoyou Feng, Xiaojie Tan, Suncha Kim, Delaina Ashley Yaun González, Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Paul Andre Michels, Yong Ae Yue
Date
2021
Location
Metropolitan Atlanta area, Georgia (Cherokee County and Piedmont Road, Atlanta)
Case status
solved
Case timeline
2021-03-16
Shootings occur at Young's Asian Massage in Cherokee County and at Gold Massage Spa and Aromatherapy Spa on Piedmont Road in Atlanta, killing eight people and wounding one.
2021-03-16
Robert Aaron Long is taken into custody in Crisp County, Georgia, after a pursuit on Interstate 75.
2021-03-17
Long is charged with eight counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault; he confesses to the killings while in custody.
2021-03-19
Police release the names of the eight deceased victims.
2021-05-11
Long is indicted on 19 counts in Fulton County and 23 counts in Cherokee County.
2021-07-27
Long pleads guilty to the Cherokee County charges and is sentenced to life without parole.
2021-08-30
Fulton County prosecutors announce they will seek the death penalty and designate the Piedmont Road shootings as a hate crime.
2021-09-28
Long pleads not guilty to the Fulton County charges.
Best coverage
Titles and descriptions are the creators’ own and may not reflect current legal status; see the dossier above for sourced case facts.
VIDEO
Coffeehouse Crime / 27 min
Killer Realizes Cops Discovered His Embarrassing Secrets
People
Daoyou Feng
VICTIM
Killed at Young's Asian Massage, age 44.
Xiaojie Tan
VICTIM
Killed at Young's Asian Massage, age 49.
Fani Willis
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Fulton County District Attorney who announced plans to seek the death penalty and hate crime enhancements against Long.
Suncha Kim
VICTIM
Killed at Gold Massage Spa, age 69.
Delaina Ashley Yaun González
VICTIM
Killed at Young's Asian Massage, age 33.
Soon Chung Park
VICTIM
Killed at Gold Massage Spa, age 74.
Hyun Jung Grant
VICTIM
Killed at Gold Massage Spa, age 51.
Paul Andre Michels
VICTIM
Killed at Young's Asian Massage, age 54.
Yong Ae Yue
VICTIM
Killed at Aromatherapy Spa, age 63.
Robert Aaron Long
CONVICTED
Pleaded guilty to Cherokee County charges (malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault) and sentenced to life without parole; separately charged in Fulton County with 19 counts including murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and domestic terrorism, and pleaded not guilty to those charges; Fulton County is seeking the death penalty and hate crime enhancements.
Jay Baker
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Cherokee County Sheriff's Department captain who described the shooter as having had 'a really bad day'; removed from his spokesman role in the investigation after criticism, including over past social media posts.
Shannon Wallace
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Cherokee County District Attorney who stated investigators found no evidence of racial bias in the shootings.
Frank Reynolds
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Cherokee County Sheriff who commented on the investigation and later addressed criticism of a spokesperson's remarks.
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Archival records
archival location
Aromatherapy and Gold Spas (Piedmont Road, Atlanta)
Credit: Mapillary user "jackdripper" · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
archival location
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with Asian American leaders in Atlanta
On March 16, 2021, a gunman killed eight people—six of them women of Asian descent—and wounded a ninth at two spas and a massage parlor in the Atlanta area. Robert Aaron Long was arrested hours later and pleaded guilty to the Cherokee County killings, receiving life without parole; he faces separate Fulton County charges including hate crime enhancements and the death penalty.
Where did the shootings happen?
Metropolitan Atlanta area, Georgia (Cherokee County and Piedmont Road, Atlanta).
Who was convicted?
Robert Aaron Long (Pleaded guilty to Cherokee County charges (malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault) and sentenced to life without parole; separately charged in Fulton County with 19 counts including murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and domestic terrorism, and pleaded not guilty to those charges; Fulton County is seeking the death penalty and hate crime enhancements.).
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