Authorities have named all of the victims of the Atlanta spa shootings, as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris visited in Atlanta to meet with local Asian American leaders and offered support to a grieving community.
The Fulton county medical examiners office on Friday updated the list of shooting victims with the names of four women that had not been previously released. The eight who were killed on Tuesday have now been identified as:
Three of the women named on Friday died at the Gold Spa in Atlanta, while the fourth woman died across the street at Aromatherapy Spa. The medical examiner didnt immediately say which woman died at Aromatherapy.
Cherokee county authorities had earlier identified those who were killed at Youngs Asian Massage, near Woodstock in Atlantas north-western suburbs, as Yaun, Michels, Feng and Tan, who was the spas owner. Another person, identified as Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, was also shot, but survived.
Robert Aaron Long, 21, has been charged with the killings.
Details about the victims lives have continued to emerge this week. Hyun Jung Grants son, Randy Park, wrote that his mother was one of my best friends and the strongest influence on who we are today in a post on the GoFundMe website.
Delaina Ashley Yauns friend, Rose Luce, told the Guardian: Ive never seen such love in a family the way I see the love Delaina had for hers.
Placards showing the names of victims of the Atlanta shooting are displayed during a peace vigil in New York City. Photograph: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Paul Andre Michels brother, John, told the Guardian: He was just a regular guy, very good-hearted, very soft-natured.
Family and friends of Xiaojie Tan told USA Today that she was a curious, hard-working and caring woman who was always filled with joy.
In a visit to Atlanta on Friday, Biden and Harris condemned this weeks attack as well as the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes over the past year.
Whatever the killers motive, these facts are clear, Harris said: six of the eight people killed were of Asian descent, seven were women, and the shootings took place in businesses owned by Asian Americans.
The president and I will not be silent. We will not stand by, she added. We will always speak out against violence, hate crimes and discrimination, wherever and whenever it occurs.
