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Spa shooting victims: Families remember an 'incredible mom' and an Army vet, business owner

Friends and family shared memories of Delaina Yaun on social media. Here's what we know so far about her and the other victims.

ATLANTA — The aftermath of a killing spree in metro Atlanta spas has left communities shocked by the violence. On Tuesday, authorities say a 21-year-old white gunman, Robert Aaron Long, killed eight people after targeting three spas. A ninth person survived the attacks.

The victims - many of them Asian women - were wives, mothers, and spa employees. Flowers now stand at the crime scenes to remember them. Pictures shared online to remember their lives.

Cherokee County officials released the names and ages of the four victims killed at Young's Asian Spa, along with the lone survivor of the attack. 

Their names were Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Tan, 49, of Kennesaw; and Daoyou Feng, 44. 

Elcias Hernandez Ortiz, 30, is still hospitalized.

On Friday, the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office released the names of the four victims killed at Gold Massage Spa and Aromatherapy Spa, both off Piedmont Road. Their names were Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; and Yong Ae Yue, 63.

The Korean Consulate in Atlanta also told 11Alive they're working closely with the police. They're now investigating whether four of the women killed in the Atlanta attack were Korean Nationals or Korean Americans.

Here's what we know so far about some of the victims of the shootings.*

Delaina Yaun

Friends and family shared memories of the mother of two on social media.

One of her friends told 11Alive she was an incredible mom, who loved her kids and her husband. They were just married in August. Their daughter is 9 months old.

Credit: Provided
Delaina Yaun

Yuan's cousin said the couple was out on a date at the Cherokee County spa Tuesday night when she was killed. Family members told the Associated Press that they were first-time customers at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor.

Her family said they are still in disbelief.

One friend said it was like Yuan had a light around her that just drew people in. She said she hasn't stopped crying since the attack, and the last words her friend said to her were, "I love you."

They have set up a GoFundMe account for her funeral.

Elcias Hernandez Ortiz

According to an online fundraiser, Ortiz was the lone survivor of the Cherokee County shooting. According to the fundraiser, he is in intensive care, after being shot in his forehead, with the bullet traveling into his lungs and stomach.

Xiaojie Tan 

According to public records, Tan was the registered business owner and manager of Young's Asian Massage. She was also a licensed massage therapist in the state of Georgia, according to records.

Paul Andre Michels 

Michels leaves behind a wife of 30 years, according to an online funding campaign. According to his younger brother John, who spoke with the Associated Press, Michels was an Army veteran who owned his own business installing security systems. He had lived in Atlanta for more than 25 years.

His brother said he may have also been speaking with the spa's owner, as he had been thinking of opening a spa himself.

Credit: (John Michels via AP)
This October 2015 photo provided by John Michels shows his brother Paul Andre Michels in Allen Park, Michigan. Paul Michels was among eight people killed on March 16, 2021, in shootings at three Georgia massage parlors in the Atlanta area.

*11Alive is working to find out more about the other victims in this attack and will update this story as we get more details.

   

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