Authorities in Georgia have released the names of four of the victims killed Tuesday night in a shooting spree targeting Atlanta-area spas.
According to police, the victims killed at Young's Asian Massage outside Acworth, Ga., have been identified as Delaina Ashley Yuan, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Yan, 49, of Kennesaw; and Daoyou Feng, 44, whose hometown was not immediately known.
Police have yet to release the names of the other four fatal victims from Tuesday's shootings. Six of the eight people killed were Asian women, police have said.
Investigators allege the killer is Robert Aaron Long, 21, whose arraignment has been scheduled for Thursday. At this point, police have not announced any charges against Long.
Long is accused of carrying out the attacks at three different Atlanta-area spas Tuesday evening.
He has allegedly confessed to the slayings and told police he has a sexual addiction, authorities said at a Wednesday press conference.
Long frequented some of the spas he's accused of targeting, investigators said.
At a Wednesday press conference, Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said possible racial animus toward the victims "did not appear to be the motive," instead describing the victims as "targets of opportunity."
Authorities alleged that Long said that he planned to travel to Florida to kill more people had he not been arrested.
Long, of Woodstock, Ga., was arrested Tuesday evening after a police pursuit.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
After seeing surveillance footage of his released to the media, Long's relatives came forward and assisted police in locating him.
Attacks on and racism against Asian Americans has been on the rise in recent months.
RELATED: Violence Against Asian Americans Continues: How You Can Help the AAPI Community
According to a recent Harris poll, 75 percent of Asian Americans are fearful of increased hate and discrimination toward them.
To learn more and to report crimes, go to: Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Stop the AAPI Hate, National Council of Asian Pacific Americans, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-LA, and Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council.
Source: Read Full Article
