Cherokee County, GA–Georgia authorities released the names of victims of Tuesday’s Atlanta-area spa shooting rampage that killed 8 people. Six of the victims were women of Asian descent.
The names of victims from Cherokee County were: Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Yan, 49, of Kennesaw; Daoyou Feng, 44, (unknown address); and Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth.
On Wednesday, at approximately 4:54 p.m., Cherokee Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to 6468 Highway 92, Acworth, Ga. regarding shots being fired at that location with several people injured. Upon arrival at “Youngs Asian Massage,” deputies discovered that five people had been shot at the location. Two of the victims were deceased, and three injured victims were transported to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. Two of the three victims who were transported later died from their injuries.
Detectives arrived on the scene, and security footage of a possible suspect, who was later identified as Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock. A short time later, investigators learned two other similar acts occurred in Atlanta.
At some point during the investigation, Cherokee Sheriff’s Office detectives were able to track Long’s movements through GPS. Long was traveling south on I-75. Sheriff Frank Reynolds contacted Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock. Crisp County Sheriff’s deputies, along with the Georgia State Patrol, were waiting for Long as he entered Crisp County. After a short pursuit, a PIT maneuver was conducted on Long’s vehicle, and he was taken into custody without incident. A 9 mm firearm was recovered during the traffic stop.
Cherokee Sheriff’s investigators interviewed Long in Crisp County following his capture last night. Long confessed to the shootings in Cherokee County and Atlanta. Long told investigators the crimes were not racially motivated. Long told investigators that he blames the massage parlors for providing an outlet for his addiction to sex.
Long was transported to the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center this morning. He is currently charged with four counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault and has no bond.
