ATLANTA — Family members of a woman killed in the metro Atlanta spa shootings released a statement Monday nearly a year after a heartbreaking series of events took place.
Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49, was killed at Young’s Asian Massage in Cherokee County. She was the owner of the spa. Eight people in total were killed in the shootings at three spas in Cherokee County and Midtown Atlanta.
Robert Aaron Long admitted to being the shooter. After shooting five people at Young Asian Massage in Cherokee County, investigators said he drove about 30 miles south to Atlanta where he shot three women at Gold Spa and one woman across the street at Aromatherapy Spa.
Tan's ex-husband, Michael Webb, and Tan's daughter Jami released a statement thanking the support of Asian lawmakers, community leaders and the Asian community in Atlanta during this "life-changing tragedy." They also commented on Cherokee County's decision not to seek hate crime charges under Georgia's new Hate Crimes Law.
You can read their full statement below.
The Asian lawmakers, community leaders and the Asian community in Atlanta, and throughout the country, have been so incredibly supportive to our family through this life-changing tragedy. We too are shocked and appalled at the staggering increase of violence against Asian people in our country. We have and will continue to do everything in our power to stand with the Asian community as we fight against racial bias, hate and violence. Although nothing will bring our beloved Xiaojie back to us, we will always honor her memory through our thoughts, words, and actions.
Immediately after the shooting we were contacted by the Cherokee County District Attorney’s Office and their Victims Assistance Program. Throughout the investigation and sentencing hearing, Shannon Wallace and her team of professionals educated us, kept us informed and prepared us for each and every step in legal the process. There are simply no words for us to express our gratitude for the time, energy, and compassion we were given. We cannot think of a better model for other similar programs throughout the country.
Since we will never know what went through the mind of this vicious killer on 3/16, we must rely on the evidence and the investigation. We are supremely confident that a thorough investigation was conducted and the decision not to pursue this as a hate crime, had it gone to trial, was based on the evidence as required under the law. Further, Ms. Wallace made it clear along the way, and in her post-sentencing press conference that if this case had gone to trial, she would have pursued it as a death penalty case, and as a gender bias case based on hatred for women. Again, we were satisfied with each of these decisions.
There has been some speculation of doubt that the families of the victims in Cherokee County were not fully involved in the decision to negotiate a plea in this case and were “not given due process”. We can only say, with respect, that we felt an integral part of the process and that ALL the families were unanimous in our support of the eventual plea arrangement and sentence.
Rather than focus on the legal aspect of this case we prefer to pledge ourselves, as an ally to the AAPI community, in their efforts for equity, justice, and ending Asian hate crimes.