Hyun Jung Kim Grant, a 51-year-old single mother of two sons, was a woman of Asian descent who dedicated her life to providing for her family. Before immigrating to the United States, she had been an elementary school teacher in South Korea. Known for her love of dancing and music, her sons remember her as a vibrant person who worked tirelessly for their well-being.
On the evening of March 16, 2021, her life was cut short when a gunman entered the Gold Spa in Atlanta, Georgia, and opened fire. Grant was one of eight people killed that day in a series of shootings at three Atlanta-area spas. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that she died from a gunshot wound to the head. The other victims at the two Atlanta spas were Soon Chung Park, Suncha Kim, and Yong Ae Yue. Four others, Delaina Ashley Yaun, Paul Andre Michels, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng, were killed at a spa in Acworth.
The day of the shootings, 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long was taken into custody and charged with eight counts of murder. Long, who is white, admitted to the killings. He claimed his actions were not racially motivated but were the result of a 'sex addiction' and a desire to eliminate temptation. However, because six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent, prosecutors in Fulton County are pursuing hate crime enhancements to his charges.
In July 2021, Robert Aaron Long pleaded guilty to the four murders that occurred in Cherokee County, which includes the Acworth spa, and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. For the deaths of Hyun Jung Grant and the three other women in Atlanta, he faces further charges in Fulton County, where the district attorney is seeking the death penalty. As of early 2023, the case in Fulton County was still in the pre-trial phase. The tragic death of Hyun Jung Grant and the other victims sparked a national conversation about anti-Asian violence and hate crimes.
