Robert Aaron Long and the 2021 Atlanta-Area Spa Shootings
Overview
On March 16, 2021, Robert Aaron Long carried out a series of shootings at three massage businesses in Cherokee County and Atlanta, Georgia. Eight people were killed and one person was seriously wounded. Seven of those killed were women, and six were women of Asian descent. Long, who was 21 years old at the time, was arrested later that evening while driving south on Interstate 75.
The attacks began at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth, an unincorporated area of Cherokee County northwest of Atlanta. Long then drove approximately 30 miles south to Atlanta, where he attacked Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa on Piedmont Road. The three shootings occurred within approximately one hour and caused widespread fear throughout the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Preparations for the Attacks
Earlier on March 16, 2021, Long legally purchased a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and ammunition from a firearms dealer in Holly Springs, Georgia. Prosecutors later said that he bought a bottle of alcohol and drove to Young’s Asian Massage. Surveillance evidence showed him arriving at the business and remaining in the area before the shooting began.
Long later admitted that he had loaded the handgun while sitting in his vehicle. He entered Young’s Asian Massage during the afternoon and remained inside for an extended period. Shortly before 5:00 p.m., he opened fire on employees and customers inside the building.
The Shooting at Young’s Asian Massage
At approximately 4:50 p.m. on March 16, emergency dispatchers began receiving reports of gunfire at Young’s Asian Massage, located on Highway 92 near Acworth. Cherokee County deputies arrived within minutes and found several people suffering from gunshot wounds.
Four people were killed in the attack. Two died inside the business, one died while being transported to a hospital, and another later died during medical treatment. A fifth victim, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, survived after being seriously wounded.
After leaving Young’s Asian Massage, Long drove south toward Atlanta. Investigators later connected his vehicle to the crime through surveillance recordings and information supplied by his family.
The Shootings at Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa
At approximately 5:47 p.m., Atlanta police received a report of a robbery in progress at Gold Spa, located at 1916 Piedmont Road NE. Officers entered the business and discovered three women who had been fatally shot.
While officers were investigating the scene, they received another report of gunfire across the street at Aromatherapy Spa, located at 1907 Piedmont Road NE. Police found a fourth woman fatally wounded inside that business. The Atlanta attacks occurred only minutes apart.
Investigators determined that Long had traveled directly from the Cherokee County crime scene to the two Atlanta businesses. Surveillance recordings captured a vehicle matching his Hyundai Tucson near all three locations.
Victims
- Delaina Ashley Yaun González, 33 — Killed on March 16, 2021, at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth in Cherokee County, Georgia. Yaun was visiting the business with her husband, who survived. She was a mother of two and had married less than a year before her death.
- Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49 — Killed on March 16, 2021, at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth. Tan owned the business and was remembered by relatives and customers as a hardworking mother and businesswoman. March 16 was one day before her fiftieth birthday.
- Daoyou Feng, 44 — Killed on March 16, 2021, at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth. Feng was an employee of the business and had reportedly begun working there only a short time before the attack.
- Paul Andre Michels, 54 — Killed on March 16, 2021, at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth. Michels was a customer at the business. He was a United States Army veteran and had previously worked in security and manufacturing.
- Hyun Jung Grant, 51 — Killed on March 16, 2021, at Gold Spa in Atlanta, Georgia. Grant was a single mother who worked to support her two sons. Her family remembered her as devoted, energetic and protective of her children.
- Suncha Kim, 69 — Killed on March 16, 2021, at Gold Spa in Atlanta. Kim had immigrated to the United States from South Korea and was remembered as a loving wife, mother and grandmother.
- Soon Chung Park, 74 — Killed on March 16, 2021, at Gold Spa in Atlanta. Park was the oldest person killed in the attacks and had family members in the United States and South Korea.
- Yong Ae Yue, 63 — Killed on March 16, 2021, at Aromatherapy Spa in Atlanta. Yue was a mother of two sons who had immigrated to the United States from South Korea. Her family described her as kind, generous and deeply devoted to her children.
- Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, 30 — Seriously wounded on March 16, 2021, at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth. Hernandez-Ortiz, a Guatemalan immigrant, survived after undergoing emergency medical treatment.
Identification and Arrest
After the Cherokee County shooting, authorities released surveillance images of the suspected gunman and his vehicle. Long’s parents recognized their son and contacted law enforcement. They also informed investigators that the Hyundai Tucson he was driving contained a tracking device.
Police used the tracking information and surveillance evidence to follow Long’s movements south through Georgia. Officers believed that he might be traveling toward Florida and could attack additional businesses. Long later told investigators that he had considered continuing the violence at locations connected to the adult entertainment industry in Florida.
At approximately 8:30 p.m., Georgia State Patrol officers located Long in Crisp County, about 150 miles south of Atlanta. Officers followed his vehicle on Interstate 75 and used a pursuit intervention maneuver to force it to stop near Cordele. Long was taken into custody without further gunfire. Police recovered the 9mm handgun from his vehicle.
Statements and Disputed Motive
Long confessed to the shootings after his arrest. He told investigators that he viewed massage businesses as sources of sexual temptation and claimed that he wanted to eliminate that temptation. He described having struggled with what he considered a sexual addiction that conflicted with his conservative religious beliefs.
Long denied that he had selected the victims because of their race. That assertion was immediately disputed by victims’ relatives, Asian American organizations and many public officials. Six of the eight people killed were Asian women, and all three businesses were associated with Asian employees or ownership.
Cherokee County prosecutors later said their investigation did not uncover sufficient evidence to pursue a racial hate-crime enhancement for the first four killings. Fulton County prosecutors reached a different conclusion regarding the Atlanta attacks. They alleged that Long intentionally targeted women because of their sex and selected victims because of their actual or perceived race or national origin.
The shootings occurred during a period of heightened concern about harassment and violence directed at Asian Americans. The killings prompted vigils, demonstrations and “Stop Asian Hate” rallies across the United States. The case also produced extensive discussion about the combined effects of racism, misogyny and the sexual stereotyping of Asian women.
Cherokee County Prosecution
Long was indicted in Cherokee County on charges that included malice murder, felony murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. The charges concerned the four people killed and the survivor wounded at Young’s Asian Massage.
On July 27, 2021, Long pleaded guilty to all 23 Cherokee County charges. During the court hearing, he admitted purchasing the handgun, entering the business and deliberately shooting the victims. Family members addressed the court and described the permanent emotional damage caused by the murders.
A judge sentenced Long to four consecutive terms of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, followed by an additional 35 years. The consecutive sentences ensured that he could never be released for the Cherokee County crimes.
Fulton County Prosecution
Long was separately indicted in Fulton County for the murders at Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa. The indictment included charges of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and domestic terrorism.
Fulton County prosecutors announced their intention to seek the death penalty and sentencing enhancements under Georgia’s hate-crime law. Prosecutors alleged that the Atlanta killings were motivated by bias against the victims’ race, national origin and gender.
Because the Cherokee County guilty plea covered only the first shooting location, the four Atlanta killings remained a separate criminal case. Long continued serving his life-without-parole sentences while awaiting the resolution of the Fulton County prosecution.
Impact and Remembrance
The Atlanta-area spa shootings devastated eight families and left a survivor with lasting physical and emotional injuries. Relatives emphasized that the victims should be remembered as individuals rather than only as names associated with a mass shooting. They were parents, grandparents, spouses, workers, immigrants, business owners and community members.
Memorials were established outside the three businesses, where mourners left flowers, photographs, candles and written messages. Vigils honoring the victims were held in Atlanta and throughout the country. Speakers called for greater protection of Asian American communities and for increased attention to violence against women.
The March 16, 2021, attacks remain among the deadliest mass shootings in Georgia’s history. They are also remembered as a defining event in the national discussion concerning anti-Asian hatred, gender-based violence and the consequences of allowing personal prejudice and resentment to develop into targeted mass murder.
