'Loving, Kind, Generous, Unselfish': Community Remembers Spa Owner Murdered in Atlanta Shootings

Maina Chen
·3 min read
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A candlelit vigil was held outside of Youngs Asian Massage for the deceased in the Atlanta-area on Thursday night. At the vigil: Xiaojie “Emily” Tan, 49, the owner of Youngs Asian Massage and her employee Daoyou Feng, 44, were honored outside the establishment, according to USA Today.

  • Joined by Tan’s daughter, Jami Webb, 29, her ex-husband Michael Webb, 64, Jami’s fiancé, the three mourned Tan on what would’ve been her 50th birthday, according to AP News via ABC 6.

  • “She did everything for me and for the family. She provided everything. She worked every day, 12 hours a day, so that me and our family would have a better life,” Jami said.

  • "She was full of smiles and laughter. She was just a pleasure to be around,” Michael, Jami’s adoptive father said.

  • Tan was “very smart, very intelligent, a loving, kind, generous, unselfish person who loved her family and loved her close friends,” Greg Hynson, 54, a friend and patron of the parlor told NPR.

  • When Tan’s family in China were told of her passing, her sister, Tan Mei, needed to be put on oxygen.

  • "My sister was a very kind and caring person. She was always thinking about her family, she cared very much for her friends," Tan Mei said over the phone from Nanning, China.

  • Jami and Michael are planning her funeral at a Catholic church.

About her: Tan was beloved by those who knew her, and described her as very hard-working. She went from a humble beginning as a nail technician to the business owner of Youngs Asian Spa and Wang’s Feet & Body Massage over 15 years.

  • In 2010, she moved to Georgia with her family.

  • In 2012, Tan became a naturalized U.S. citizen and she first registered to vote.

  • Teal Clark, a friend of Tan and Michael said, “She was very invested in becoming an American.”

  • Tan was a licensed massage therapist, according to NBC News.

  • She would frequently ask customers where they’ve traveled and dreamed of globe-trotting with her daughter, who she was very close to.

On that night: Nine victims were shot on Tuesday night by Robert Aaron Long, 21, in three separate spas: Youngs Asian Massage, Gold Spa, Aromatherapy Spa.

  • Eight were grievously wounded and passed, six of them being Asian women.

  • The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) released a statement about the shooting on Wednesday, naming five of the victims from Youngs Asian Massage.

  • Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Tan, 49, of Kennesaw; Daoyou Feng, 44, unknown address. Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, the fifth victim, is in the ICU and has been hospitalized for his injuries.

  • The rest of the victims from the latter two spas were not identified until Friday, when NBC News tweeted a full list of all the deceased victims, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office.

  • Soon Chung Park, 74; Hyun Jung Grant, 51; Suncha Kim, 69; Yong Yue, age 63.

  • Long was arrested and charged with eight counts of murder, one count of aggravated assault and no bond. His legal counsel waived his hearing on Thursday, according to the NY Daily News.

The GoFundmes for Hyun Jung Kim, Elcias R. Hernandez-Ortiz, Paul Andre Michels and Delaina Ashley Yaun can be found here. Feature Image via Greg Hynson (left), Getty (right)

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