ATLANTA – Eight people, including six women of Asian descent, died in shootings Tuesday at three spas in the Atlanta area, authorities said. One man was also injured.
Officials continue to investigate the motive behind the shootings, which came amid a documented rise in anti-Asian sentiment nationwide. The suspected gunman, a 21-year-old white man named Robert Aaron Long, told investigators that race did not play a factor in the attack, authorities said.
Here are the latest updates:
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Activists participate in a vigil in response to the Atlanta spa shootings March 17, 2021, in the Chinatown area of Washington, D.C. A gunman opened fire in three spas in the Atlanta, Georgia area, the day before killing eight people, including six women of Asian descent.
Julie Tran holds her phone during a candlelight vigil in Garden Grove, California, on March 17, 2021, to unite against the recent spate of violence targeting Asians and to express grief and outrage after yesterday’s shooting that left eight people dead in Atlanta, Georgia, including at least six Asian women.
John and Barbara Hayes, of Sandy Springs, Georgia, bring flowers and offer prayers on March 17, 2021, at the steps of Gold Spa, one of the three Asian massage parlors that were the sites of deadly attacks in Northeast Atlanta, Georgia on March 16, 2021.
Activists participate in a vigil in response to the Atlanta spa shootings March 17, 2021, in the Chinatown area of Washington, D.C. A gunman opened fire in three spas in the Atlanta, Georgia, area, the day before killing eight people, including six women of Asian descent.
Clover and Julie Tran stand with outstretched hands during a candlelight vigil in Garden Grove, California, on March 17, 2021, to unite against the recent spate of violence targeting Asians and to express grief and outrage after yesterday’s shooting that left eight people dead in Atlanta, Georgia, including at least six Asian women.
People hold a banner during a candlelight vigil in Garden Grove, California, on March 17, 2021, to unite against the recent spate of violence targeting Asians and to express grief and outrage after yesterday’s shooting that left eight people dead in Atlanta, Georgia, including at least six Asian women.
Activists participate in a vigil in response to the Atlanta spa shootings March 17, 2021, in the Chinatown area of Washington, D.C. A gunman opened fire in three spas in the Atlanta, Georgia area, the day before killing eight people, including six women of Asian descent.
An Asian American man who did not want to be identified pauses in silence as he visits the makeshift memorial in front of Gold Spa, one of three locations where deadly shootings happened yesterday at three day spas, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., March 17, 2021.
Worshippers offer prayers for victims of the Atlanta spa shooting in addition to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic at the Mahayana Buddhist temple in Chinatown, New York City, on March 17, 2021, following the shootings in Atlanta.
Activists participate in a vigil in response to the Atlanta spa shootings March 17, 2021, in the Chinatown area of Washington, D.C. A gunman opened fire in three spas in the Atlanta, Georgia area, the day before killing eight people, including six women of Asian descent.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect, Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, was captured around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday following a chase in Crisp County in south Georgia, about three hours away from the shooting scene.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office released surveillance images of a suspect believed to be linked to the spa shootings.
Officials talk on the phone in front of Gold Spa after a shooting on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs left multiple people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said. A 21-year-old man suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt, police said.
Law enforcement officials confer outside a massage parlor following a shooting on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs have left multiple people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said Tuesday.
Authorities investigate a fatal shooting at a massage parlor, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Acworth, Ga. Officials say 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia, has been captured hours after multiple people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors.
Officials stand in front of a massage parlor after a shooting, Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs left multiple people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said. A 21-year-old man suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt, police said.
Law enforcement officials confer outside a massage parlor following a shooting on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs have left multiple people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said Tuesday.
An officer stands outside Gold Spa after a shooting, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Shootings at two massage parlors in Atlanta and one in the suburbs left multiple people dead, many of them women of Asian descent, authorities said. A 21-year-old man suspected in the shootings was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt, police said.
CORRECTS DATELINE TO ACWORTH INSTEAD OF WOODSTOCK – Authorities investigate a fatal shooting at a massage parlor, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Acworth, Ga. Officials say 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long, of Woodstock, Georgia, has been captured hours after multiple people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors.
A massage parlor is seen after a shooting, late Tuesday, March 16, 2021, in Atlanta. Authorities say shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors have left several people dead, many of them women of Asian descent.