A newlywed mother, an Army veteran: What we know about the Atlanta-area victims

Families have been left in shock and are grieving after a gunman opened fire Tuesday at three Atlanta-area spas, killing eight people and seriously wounding another person.

The attacks began around 5 p.m. Tuesday, when four people were killed in Cherokee County. Less than an hour later, four more were killed in two shootings in Atlanta.

Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33

Delaina Ashley Yaun of Acworth left behind two children after she was killed in the Cherokee County attack, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up to help the family with funeral expenses. Relatives could not be reached for comment Thursday at phone numbers listed for them.

"We just don't know how to do any of this alone," the GoFundMe page stated.

A friend told NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta that Yaun had gotten married in August. One of her children is a 9-month-old daughter, said the friend, who called Yaun an incredible mom who loved her husband and children.

Paul Andre Michels, 54

Paul Andre Michels of Atlanta was at a spa in Cherokee County when he was killed. Michels, 54, an Army veteran, moved to the area after having grown up in Southwest Detroit. Michels had gotten married and was a business owner, his brother, John Michels, told NBC's "Today" show.

"My brother is a very hardworking, loving husband, a good brother," Michels said. "A man who would do anything for someone if they needed it."

Xiaojie Tan, 49, and Daoyou Feng, 44

Xiaojie Tan and Daoyou Feng were also killed in Cherokee County, according to the sheriff's office. Relatives could not be reached for comment.

The Atlanta victims

The victims in Atlanta have not yet been identified by police or the Fulton County medical examiner. All four were women.

"We need to make sure that we have a true verification of their identities and that we make the proper next-of-kin notification," Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton told reporters Thursday, adding that police are working closely with South Korean diplomats to find family members.

The injured

Another man, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth, was injured in Cherokee County. A GoFundMe campaign that his wife, Flora Gonzalez Gomez, set up said he is hospitalized in intensive care after having suffered a gunshot to his forehead.

"He will be needing facial surgery," she wrote. "Please pray for my family and the family's that were affected by this shooting."

Gonzalez Gomez did not immediately return a phone call Thursday.

'Unspeakable tragedy'

The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, 21, of Woodstock, was arrested and charged with eight counts of murder: four related to the killings at the two Atlanta spas and four related to the shooting at the Cherokee County spa.

He also faces an aggravated assault charge in Cherokee County.

Six of the victims are of Asian descent, officials said. The deaths happened the same day the reporting forum Stop AAPI Hate released a report saying reports of anti-Asian hate incidents have risen significantly. The report said a disproportionate number of the incidents involved women.

In a tweet, the organization said the shootings were an "unspeakable tragedy."

Flags at the White House were lowered, and President Joe Biden called the recent attacks on the Asian American community "un-American."

Authorities said Long's remarks indicated that he might have had a sexual addiction and that he saw the businesses as a temptation he needed to eliminate.

Cherokee County Sheriff Frank Reynolds said Long "may have frequented" some of the spas and "might have been lashing out."

It was unclear whether the businesses had any ties to sex work. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said that the spas were "legally operating businesses that have not been on our radar" and that "we are not about to get into victim blaming, victim shaming here."

"A crime against any community is a crime against us all," she said at a news conference Wednesday.

Officials said Long's statements could yield a possible motive.

Long was arrested in Crisp County, about 125 miles south of Atlanta, after his family helped police track his phone. A 9 mm firearm that he purchased legally on the day of the shootings was found in the car he was driving, said two senior law enforcement officials briefed about the matter.

Long was being held without bond in Cherokee County. He was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning, but the hearing was canceled. A Cherokee County court clerk said that the case documents are sealed and that it was unclear whether the arraignment had been rescheduled. It was not clear whether Long had obtained an attorney.

This is a developing story; please check back for updates.