At least 8 dead, 1 injured in Ga. massage parlor, spa shootings

March 17, 2021 Amber28 US 0

A police officer watches as a body is taken from the Gold Spa massage parlor after a shooting, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs left multiple people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said. A 21-year-old man suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt, police said. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:16 AM PT – Wednesday, March 17, 2021

At least eight people are dead following shootings at three Atlanta, Georgia area massage parlors.

According to law enforcement on Tuesday night, a 21-year-old white male has been taken into custody after leading police in a short car pursuit roughly 150 miles from the scene of the initial shooting. The suspect first opened fire in Cherokee County, where authorities initially responded to a shooting at Young’s Asian Massage.

“Our deputies arrived at the location and found two people deceased inside, and three other individuals that had been shot,” announced Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. “One of them has since died, so now we are looking at three homicides and two people are injured.”

Shortly after, about 30 miles from the first shooting, law enforcement in Atlanta responded to a robbery in progress at Gold Spa when police found three women dead.

We look forward to a full accounting of the killer’s deranged actions as law enforcement conducts a thorough, detailed investigation. Every Georgian, including the AAPI community, deserve to be safe and secure in our state. (2/2)

— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) March 17, 2021

While investigating, authorities also received reports of shots fired at another spa across the street. On arrival, they found another woman who appeared to have been shot dead. Investigators believe the victims involved at the spa shootings are of Asian descent.

Currently, authorities believe their suspect-in-custody, who has been identified as Robert Aaron Long, is the same suspect who was the gunman in all three shootings. As of now, a motive remains unclear with the FBI stepping in to help local authorities with their investigation.