Georgia Massage Parlor Shootings Leave 8 Dead; Man Captured

Authorities say a 21-year-old man has been captured hours after eight people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors.

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This undated photo provided by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, in Georgia, shows Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, suspected in a massage parlor shooting. Several people were killed and others injured at a massage parlor in Cherokee County, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, officials said. Shootings at other massage parlors in Atlanta also occurred.

Credit: Courtesy of Cherokee County Sheriff's Office via AP

Cherokee County sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker said Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia, was taken into custody in Crisp County on Tuesday night. Crisp County is about 150 miles south of Atlanta.

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5 people were shot at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor in Acworth, about 30 miles north of Atlanta, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. / AP

Four people were killed at a massage parlor in Woodstock in Cherokee County. 

Shortly after, three people were killed at a spa in northeast Atlanta, while a fourth person was killed at another spa across the street. Atlanta Police Chief Rodney Bryant said all four victims were female, and “It appears that they may be Asian.”

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Gold Spa in the 1900 block of Piedmont Road in Atlanta was the scene of a shooting on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 / AP

With two shootings at massage parlors in Atlanta and the knowledge of the Woodstock shooting, Atlanta police said they dispatched officers to check nearby similar businesses and increased patrols in the area.