Eight People Killed In Targeted Shootings At Three Atlanta Spas: Suspect In Custody

Eight people were killed Tuesday in shootings at three spas in the Atlanta area.

Two of the shootings happened across the street from one another, with the third shooting happening 30 miles away in Cherokee County.

Robert Aaron Long, 21, was arrested Tuesday night, about three hours after the killings, and was taken into custody without incident.

Police say “it is extremely likely” that Long was behind all three of the shootings.

“Video footage from our Video Integration Center places the Cherokee County suspect’s vehicle in the area, around the time of our Piedmont Road shootings,” the Atlanta Police Department said. “That, along with video evidence viewed by investigators, suggests it is extremely likely our suspect is the same as Cherokee County’s, who is in custody. Because of this, an investigator from APD is in Cherokee County, and we are working closely with them to confirm with certainty our cases are related.”

The first shooting happened at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth, Georgia. When police arrived, they found five people shot. Two were dead at the scene, and the other three were taken to the hospital. Two of those people later died at the hospital.

Then about an hour later and 30 miles away, shots rang out at the Gold Massage Spa on Piedmont Road in Atlanta. Police arrived and found three people dead.

While cops were there, another call came in about gunshots right across the street at the Aroma Therapy Spa.

They arrived and found one person dead.

#BREAKING: 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, the accused gunman in today's Cherokee County spa shooting, has been apprehended in Crisp County, Georgia. The news comes as officials announce a fourth person has died: https://t.co/1spPrt8Hco pic.twitter.com/XnUnsUhWcw

— Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) March 17, 2021