Metro Atlanta marks five years since spa shootings as legal case and community healing continue

Five-year milestone brings renewed focus to victims, unresolved prosecution, and community response

Metro Atlanta is marking five years since the March 16, 2021 shootings at three massage businesses that left eight people dead and intensified national attention on violence affecting Asian American communities. The attacks unfolded first at Youngs Asian Massage in Cherokee County and later at Gold Spa and Aromatherapy Spa along Piedmont Road in Atlanta.

The eight people killed were Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49; Daoyou Feng, 44; Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33; and Paul Andre Michels, 54, in Cherokee County. In Atlanta, the victims were Yong Ae Yue, 63; Soon Chung Park, 74; Suncha Kim, 69; and Hyun Jung Grant, 51. A fifth person was injured during the Cherokee County shooting.

What happened in court, and what remains pending

Robert Aaron Long pleaded guilty in Cherokee County in July 2021 and was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole, plus an additional 35 years on other counts. That resolution did not end the case. Long still faces a separate prosecution in Fulton County for the killings in Atlanta, where prosecutors have pursued a death penalty case and Long has pleaded not guilty.

Court activity in the Fulton County case has included litigation over what evidence jurors may hear. In March 2025, a judge ruled that statements Long made after his arrest, as well as statements connected to his Cherokee County guilty plea, could be used in the Fulton County proceedings, subject to further objections to specific portions. As of early 2026, the Fulton County prosecution had not reached a publicly announced trial date, with pretrial motions continuing to shape how jury selection and evidence issues will be handled.

Commemorations and the broader context

Anniversary events in past years have combined memorial elements with discussions about grief, safety, and civic participation. Community panels and remembrance gatherings have continued into the five-year mark, reflecting ongoing mourning for the victims and support for surviving relatives and affected workers.

The 2021 shootings also occurred amid heightened public concern about bias-motivated incidents during the COVID-19 era. In May 2021, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act was signed into law, directing federal resources toward faster review of certain hate crime reports and improved guidance for reporting.

• Eight people were killed across three locations in Cherokee County and Atlanta on March 16, 2021.
• The Cherokee County case ended with guilty pleas and a life-without-parole sentence in July 2021.
• The Fulton County case remains pending, with the death penalty sought and pretrial rulings issued on admissible statements.

The five-year anniversary underscores two parallel realities: a community still publicly remembering those lost, and a major criminal case in Atlanta that has yet to be tried.