CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — The Cherokee County sheriff was part of a vigil on Thursday night at the Acworth spa where a gunman started a shooting spree that ended with eight people dead and another injured.
Most of the victims are of Asian descent.
Robert Aaron Long, 21, is the main suspect in three shootings at Youngs Asian Spa in Cherokee County and Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa off Piedmont Road on Tuesday.
“Our hearts and our prayers go out within the entire Asian American community,” Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said.
Channel 2′s Matt Johnson said Reynolds became emotional talking about how the murders of the four people in his county have affected the community.
“I just want to let our community know, I want the world to know, we’re better than this. Our hearts go out to these people,” Reynolds said.
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Channel 2 Action News obtained a photo of Xiaojie Tan on Thursday. She was the woman who owned Young’s Asian Spa and one of the four victims of the shooting inside.
“She was just the sweetest, kindest person you could meet,” said Greg Hynson, who was a friend of Tan’s.
Hynson said he knew Tan for six years and that she went by Emily.
He said another victim, Daoyou Feng, had only started working at the spa a couple of months ago.
“They were friends. They loved everybody. It was just nicest group of people,” Hynson said.
In Atlanta, the investigation continues into the deaths of four more people.
Police are not ready to release the names of the four Asian women who died at the two spas on Piedmont Road.
Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Charles Hampton said they haven’t ruled out pursuing hate crime charges.
“Nothing is off the table for our investigation,” Hampton said.
Authorities in Cherokee County said they haven’t found any evidence to show the murders were racially motivated.
APD stated because the victims are all Asian women, they’re considering more possibilities.
“Our investigation is separate from the Cherokee County investigation, and our investigation is slightly different,” Hampton said.
As memorials at each spa continue to grow, the Cherokee County sheriff said he is committed to bringing the accused killer to justice.
“We are committed to providing a safe community and getting a solid conviction on this. You have my promise,” Reynolds said.
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