Eight people were killed Tuesday in three shootings at spa businesses in Atlanta, Georgia.
Seven of the victims were women, and
six were of Asian descent
.
A 21-year-old white man, who confessed responsibility for the crime, has been charged with eight counts of murder.
The victims have been identified by authorities as Soon C. Park, 74;
Hyun J. Grant, 51;
Suncha Kim, 69;
Yong A. Yue, 63;
Xiaojie Tan, 49;
Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33;
Paul Andre Michaels, 54, and Daoyou Feng, 44.
[Sexual violence and exploitation of immigrants: behind the crime in Atlanta spas there is more than racism and misogyny]
Relatives of the deceased women have expressed their
outrage
at the way the authorities have handled the case, and in particular at the suggestion that the shooting was motivated by an alleged "sex addiction" of the suspect.
"All I can think of is her," Eric Park, son of Hyun J. Grant, told The New York Times.
“Watching the news just makes me mad.
That officer who says the shooter had a bad day, how is that a bad day?
For me, it is a hate crime no matter what it looks like, "he added.
Here's what is known about the victims so far:
Xiaojie Tan
Xiaojie Tan was born in China, the youngest of two daughters in a Catholic family.
Her husband, Michael Webb, met her in her hometown of Nanning, and together they toured China, she told USA Today.
The couple married in 2004, and the family moved to Georgia for two years six years later.
Since his arrival in the United States, Xiaojie Tan began working as a manicurist and, in 15 years, he prospered until having his own business.
“She did everything for me and for the family.
He gave us everything.
She worked every day, 12 hours a day, so that I and my family could have a better life, "said Jamie Webb, Tan's daughter, to the aforementioned newspaper.
Xiaojie Tan.Kennesaw Police Department, via Facebook
Clients and acquaintances who attended her funeral described her as a sweet, hard-working woman, a legal business owner.
In China, her relatives gathered to mark her 50th birthday, which she would have celebrated this week.
“My sister was a very kind and loving person.
He was always thinking about his family, he cared a lot about his friends, "Tan Mei told USA Today.
Delaina Ashley Yaun
Yaun was born in the Atlanta area to a family of four siblings.
As a single mother, and working as a waitress at the Waffle House restaurant, she raised a son who is now 14 years old.
Eight months ago he also had a daughter.
Less than a year ago, she married her husband, according to The Guardian newspaper.
On the day of the shooting, the couple went to Young's Asian Massage spa for the first time.
Her husband survived the attack.
Delaina Ashley Yaun and her family Kennesaw Police Department, via Facebook
"Every day, she would come home from work and hug her mother, and kiss her baby with a huge smile on her face. She adored her baby with every part of her heart," said Rose Luce, Yaun's friend, to The Guardian.
Dana Toole, the woman's sister, said her husband is having great difficulty processing the tragic events.
Yaun, described by her friends and family, was a family-focused person who always did her best to help others.
Hyun J. Grant
Hyun J. Grant, 51, worked in the Gold Spa business.
Her son, Eric Park, told The New York Times that the woman worked all day to help her two sons pay for college tuition, as well as rent and utilities at her home in Georgia, near Atlanta. .
"She was a single mother of two children who dedicated her entire life to raising them," Park told the news website The Daily Beast.
["Religious obsession" and guilt over his sexual urges may have influenced the Atlanta killer]
The children were very close to their mother, said Park, who was a person who liked dancing and parties.
Before living in the United States, Grant was an elementary school teacher in Korea.
"You see these things on TV shows and movies," added Park, "It's surreal.
But I have a younger brother that I have to take care of now, so as much as I want to be sad and cry, and I am very sad, I have no choice but to move on.
To solve the whole housing situation probably next year with my brother. "
Paul Andre Michaels
The man was part of a family of nine siblings.
He was part of the Army infantry until the late 1980s, as well as a businessman, his brother, John Michaels, told The New York Times.
Paul Andre Michaels, Kennesaw Police Department, via Facebook
"We did everything together," she said, "my brother was a very hardworking and loving man."
Michaels was described by his brother as a conservative and Catholic man, who was married for more than 20 years.
On the day of the attack, he was at the Young's Asian Massage spa installing a security system, according to his brother.
With information from
The New York Times
, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Guardian.