What we know so far about the Atlanta spa shootings

A gunman killed eight people in three separate shootings in Atlanta, Georgia, massage parlors. Here’s what we know about the incidents so far:

Eight people were killed in three separate shootings on Tuesday evening at massage parlors in and around the city.

• The majority of victims killed were women of Asian descent. Two of those killed were white. Police said seven of those killed were women.

• Robert Aaron Long, 21, was arrested as the suspect in the shootings. Long was taken into custody in south-west Georgia about 150 miles (240km) from Atlanta, after police intercepted his car.

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• Long faces eight counts of murder, and one count of assault, for the shootings in Atlanta and Acworth, about 30 miles north-west in Cherokee county. His arraignment is expected on Thursday.

• The killing spree started around 5pm, when Long allegedly shot five people at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor, in Acworth. Two victims died at the scene, and another two died at hospital, authorities said.

• Around 5.50pm, police responded to a report of a robbery in progress at Gold Spa in north-east Atlanta. When police arrived, they found three women who were killed by apparent gunshot wounds.

• While police were at Gold Spa, they received calls about shots at Aromatherapy Spa, across the street. At Aromatherapy Spa, they found the body of another woman.

• The Cherokee county sheriff’s office revealed the identities of the four victims killed at Youngs Asian Massage Parlor. They are 33-year-old Delaina Ashley Yaun, 54-year-old Paul Andre Michels, 49-year-old Xiaojie Yan, and 44-year-old Daoyou Feng.

• A spokesperson for the Cherokee county sheriff’s office said it appeared that Xiaojie Yan was the owner of Youngs Asian Massage Parlor.

• Yaun worked at an Acworth location of Waffle House, a US diner chain. In a statement about her death, the company described her as a “well-liked server” who was trained as a grill operator.

• Authorities said they were continuing to investigate whether these killings were racially motivated hate crimes, given the uptick in attacks against Asian Americans. Officials said that the suspect said that his actions weren’t racially motivated and that he might have had a “sex addiction”. “During his interview, he gave no indicators that this was racially motivated,” the Cherokee county sheriff, Frank Reynolds, reportedly said.

• Law enforcement agencies across the US were on heightened alert Wednesday over fears that the victims were targeted because of their Asian American ethnicity. The New York police department’s counter-terrorism bureau said it was monitoring developments in Georgia and would send additional officers to Asian communities in the city “out of an abundance of caution”.

• Investigators believe the suspect in the Atlanta spa shootings bought the gun used in the attack this week, CNN reported.