Here’s what we know about the metro Atlanta spa shootings that left 8 dead
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Amir Vera, CNN
(CNN) — At least eight people were found dead at three different spas in the Atlanta area Tuesday.
Police say video evidence has led them to believe the same suspect, Robert Aaron Long, is responsible for all three shootings.
Here’s what we know so far:
Where did the shootings take place?
Four deaths were connected to Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth, Georgia, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and two others died at the hospital. One person was also wounded, Cherokee County Sheriff’s spokesperson Howard J. Baker said.
Authorities had responded to the scene for reports of a shooting.
About an hour later, three people were found dead at the Gold Massage Spa on Piedmont Road in Atlanta, Police Chief Rodney Bryant said.
One person was also found dead at the Aroma Therapy Spa, directly across the street.
What’s known about the victims?
Six of the eight killed were Asian women, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing authorities.
The victims’ names weren’t immediately released, as officials worked to notify next of kin.
Four of those killed were of Korean ethnicity, according to South Korea’s foreign ministry, which said it was in contact with its consulate in Atlanta.
The foreign ministry said it was working to confirm the victims’ nationality, and would provide necessary support.
Is there a suspect?
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office identified a suspect as 21-year-old Long of Woodstock, Georgia.
Long was apprehended in Crisp County, Georgia, around 8:30 p.m. ET. The county is about 150 miles south of Atlanta.
The Atlanta Police Department said it believes Long is responsible for all three attacks, based on video evidence.
“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 department said in a release. “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.”
Neither Cherokee County nor Atlanta investigators described a motive for any of the shootings.
There is also no confirmation that the shootings were racially motivated.