Asian women among 8 killed in Atlanta-area massage parlour shootings, male suspect captured
- Man captured in Atlanta-area shootings suspected of killing eight people at three locations
- At least six of the victims were women of Asian descent, police and US media report
Eight people were killed in shootings at three different massage parlours in the US state of Georgia on Tuesday and a 21-year-old male suspect was in custody, police said, though it was unclear if the attacks were related.
Most of the victims were women of Asian descent, authorities said, while South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported the country’s foreign ministry had confirmed that four of the victims were of Korean descent.
Four people were killed in a shooting at Young’s Asian Massage near Acworth, a suburb of Georgia’s capital city Atlanta, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing the Cherokee County sheriff’s office.
“Shooting suspect in custody!” the county sheriff’s office posted on Facebook.
The deadly shooting on Georgia Highway 92 near Acworth took place just before 5pm local time, according to the sheriff’s office. Five people were shot, with two declared dead at the scene and three taken to the hospital with injuries. Two of those injured later died at the hospital, according to the sheriff’s office.
The victims were two Asian women, a white woman and a white man, said Captain Jay Baker of the Cherokee County sheriff’s office. The fifth victim was a Hispanic man who was injured and taken to the hospital. Officials have not provided an update on his condition.
The Atlanta police department separately confirmed that four women were found dead at two business establishments in Atlanta, identified by media as the Gold Massage Spa, and Aroma Therapy spa.