Five dead in shooting at Korean spa in Atlanta

by Robert Koehler on February 22, 2012

A Korean-American shot dead four people at a Korean spa outside Atlanta before turning the gun on himself in a grisly murder-suicide, AFP and Yonhap News reported Wednesday.

Horrible. I guess we’ll be learning more soon.

(HT to Sperwer)

Tagged as: Atlanta

{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }

1 jk6411 February 22, 2012 at 5:13 pm: I wonder when they’ll outlaw gun ownership in the U.S.
Guns have killed far more people in the U.S. than they’ve saved, IMO.
2 chanceencounter February 22, 2012 at 5:47 pm: It’s not a good week for violence against Koreans in the U.S. This story of a jilted guy running over his girlfriend (3 times, no less) also falls under the category of “horrible”.

ttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/man-runs-over-girlfriend-_n_1291630.html
3 chanceencounter February 22, 2012 at 5:48 pm: Sorry.. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/man-runs-over-girlfriend-_n_1291630.html
4 Arghaeri February 22, 2012 at 5:50 pm: Kimsanity!
5 Sperwer February 22, 2012 at 5:57 pm: @1

And so it begins …
6 jkitchstk February 22, 2012 at 6:04 pm: # 1,
“Guns have killed far more people in the U.S. than they’ve saved, IMO.”
Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
7 jk6411 February 22, 2012 at 6:08 pm: @#5,

Wow, you’re extremely prejudiced, you know that?
If you read my comments on the Jenny Hyun thread, you’ll notice that I’m the 1st one who mentioned the crazy Korean guy running over his girlfriend 3 times.

My comment on gun control was exactly that, about gun control.
I can’t believe you interpreted it as my trying to justify the Korean spa murderer’s actions..
I’m speechless.
8 jk6411 February 22, 2012 at 6:09 pm: @#6,

If there were no guns, there would be no shootings.
Simple as that.
9 Hamilton February 22, 2012 at 6:13 pm: “I wonder when they’ll outlaw gun ownership in the U.S.
Guns have killed far more people in the U.S. than they’ve saved, IMO.”

Students don’t misspell words, pencils do. Pencils have misspelled far more words than they have spelled correctly IMHO.

Seriously though, there are no reliable statistics, the anti-gun lobby will always poo-poo away legitmate gun use both as a self defense instrument and as a deterent.

I have seen a number of self defense usage in the past year where a home owner would likely have been killed if they did not have a gun. Do these incidents outweigh the accidental deaths and murders that occur each year involving legally purchased firearms? They do if it saves your ass.

I also know that if a few teachers were packing heat at Columbine or other school mass-murders then more students would have had a chance. An armed population is an equal one.
10 SomeguyinKorea February 22, 2012 at 6:20 pm: “An armed population is an equal one.”

Why were US soldiers rounding up the guns owned by the locals in Iraq and Afghanistan?
11 Sperwer February 22, 2012 at 6:23 pm: @7 and, of course my comment, was only a raised eyebrow about the predictable gun control argument, mr disingenuous
12 nayaCasey February 22, 2012 at 6:39 pm: Sperwer #11, exactly. So predictable.

Dear moderator, please take this gun control argument behind the barn and shoot it now.
13 Hamilton February 22, 2012 at 6:41 pm: #10 Red herring but I’ll play.

They aren’t. They are not even in Iraq anymore and did not have more than a training role for the past 2 years, please try to keep up.

When the US Army was in Iraq and as they operate in Afghanistan each household is allowed to keep weapons and ammunition. They were not allowed to keep rocket propelled grenades, mines, explosive materials and a number of items not expressly for self defense.

Ultimately the Iraqi government and the Afghan government determine what is a reasonable amount of family firepower, not the US.
14 Jashin Densetsu February 22, 2012 at 7:04 pm: self-defense, deterrent, “legitimate gun use”, all that is a red herring bro. that’s not what guns are for or about. they’re for tools to be used by militias to take down the gov’t if necessary. the gov’t has nukes, drones, all kinds of heavy arms, surveillance gear, etc that now make guns inadequate as tools for this purpose so more firepower and tools for the people are justified.
15 Year of the Dragon February 22, 2012 at 8:26 pm: @ #8

If there were no guns, there would be no shootings.
Simple as that.

Guns ARE outlawed in Australia, yet people get shot in Sydney every week – especially in drive by shootings. http://tiny.cc/daxa7
16 jk6411 February 22, 2012 at 8:45 pm: Guns ARE outlawed in Australia, yet people get shot in Sydney every week – especially in drive by shootings.

Well, if guns were legal, there would be a lot more shootings.
Seriously, with all the mentally ill people out there these days, we need to get guns off the streets. (very few people are mature -and stable- enough to own a gun and not do something stupid with it.)
17 bulgogi monster February 22, 2012 at 8:55 pm: Terrible news – strange how this was committed in a Korean spa out of all places.
18 cm February 22, 2012 at 9:01 pm: This was an argument over money. The shooter killed his family members including his brother in law, and his sister. There were 20 other people who were customers in the spa, but the shooter only went after his own family.
19 cm February 22, 2012 at 9:06 pm: http://news.donga.com/Inter/3/02/20120222/44239532/1

I didn’t know Atlanta had over 100,000 Koreans, making that city, third largest Korean community after LA and NYC. This paper says the crimes by Koreans are rising.
20 nayaCasey February 22, 2012 at 9:30 pm: cm, to the rescue again with breaking facts! (as opposed to just breaking news)

I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but years ago a friend said:

* If there is someone dead, with a bullet to the chest from shots at point-blank range: look first for a black suspect.
* If there is someone dead, with “catch me if you can” written on them in a marker or blood, first look for a white suspect.
* If there is someone dead, and there’s some money missing or owed: Asian.

He insists it isn’t 100% of the time, but….
21 Creo69 February 22, 2012 at 9:34 pm: “(very few people are mature -and stable- enough to own a gun and not do something stupid with it.)”

30, 000 deaths per year in the USA related to guns…Wiki says something like 192 million guns in American homes. “Very few people” …. really?
22 Avaast February 22, 2012 at 10:12 pm: Bah, humans. Pathetic meatbags, the lot of them!
23 Charles Tilly February 22, 2012 at 10:37 pm: I also know that if a few teachers were packing heat at Columbine or other school mass-murders then more students would have had a chance.

But not with a Hamilton packing heat. As shown in the past, he’s all thumbs.
24 numberoneoppa February 22, 2012 at 10:47 pm
25 jkitchstk February 22, 2012 at 11:15 pm: # 7, “Wow, you’re extremely prejudiced, you know that? If you read my comments on the Jenny Hyun thread,…”

I blame the person you blame the guns, I don’t care who pulled the trigger. That is not being prejudiced. Why would I care what you wrote on another thread and stop guessing how I interpret things.

# 8, “If there were no guns, there would be no shootings. Simple as that.”

You mean no guns like in S. Korea?
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2012/02/16/disgruntled-ex-employee-goes-postal-arrested-after-20-km-car-chase/
26 inkevitch February 23, 2012 at 12:31 am: Um, in the 10 weeks I worked in the Emergency Department in Gold Coast in the gun crime capital of Queensland I saw exactly zero shootings. And the only gun wound I heard of last year to come to ED was a police officer in an armed burgulary bust who sadly died. This is in an area with southern gangs encroaching on bikie territory, so you would expoect plenty of gun violence. In a similar hospital in a similar neighboorhood in the US you would expect daily gun shot wounds and monthly deaths.

YotD it is true drive by shootings have increased in NSW but how many have resulted in fatalaties? And these drive by shootings are with pistols and shot guns not automatic rifles which make them far less deadly. Gun ownership is still legal, it is just far more restricted and this has resulted in fewer gun related deaths . When was the last time outside of the Victorian police did you hear of Australian police have to shoot someone.
27 redwhitedude February 23, 2012 at 2:16 am: You know gun control isn’t going to fly in the US.
28 CactusMcHarris February 23, 2012 at 4:20 am: My sympathies to the living members of the family.

What a selfish SOB. I reckon he’ll get his when he’s arrived at where he’s going for this sort of thing.

One of the nice things about Canada – they heavily restrict licensed hand guns.
29 jk6411 February 23, 2012 at 4:48 am: jkitchstk @#25,

Um, my comment #7 wasn’t directed at you.
30 jk6411 February 23, 2012 at 4:56 am: @#28,

I love Canada!
31 WangKon936 February 23, 2012 at 5:17 am: This could have been infinitely worse. The only other place Korean families gather in is church.
32 hoju_saram February 23, 2012 at 7:21 am: Sad news.

I also know that if a few teachers were packing heat at Columbine or other school mass-murders then more students would have had a chance. An armed population is an equal one.

I’d prefer to send my children to a school where no-one had guns, rather than a school where everyone was “packing heat”, including the students, thanks. I think it’s a really, really silly argument.

Having said that, the US is unique in a number of ways, and I understand that gun control is never going to work there. There are already guns everywhere; imposing gun laws would just result in gangs and illegal gun owners keeping their weapons, and law-abiding, responsible gun-owners losing theirs. The US/Mexico border would also continue to arm gangs and other criminals with weapons, no matter what the US laws had to say on the matter.

So I sympathize with those who prefer lax gun laws in the states. Even if people wanted those laws (which they don’t) it would never work.

Having said that, I thank myself lucky stars that I live in a country with tight gun controls and very few guns on the street, and so does everybody I know. I also appreciated the lack of guns in the ROK when I was there. And I’m really, really glad my kids won’t be going to a school where everyone’s “packing heat”
33 hoju_saram February 23, 2012 at 7:29 am: Um, in the 10 weeks I worked in the Emergency Department in Gold Coast in the gun crime capital of Queensland I saw exactly zero shootings. And the only gun wound I heard of last year to come to ED was a police officer in an armed burgulary bust who sadly died.

Shot-gun blast to the face, if I recall correctly. I remember you talking about working at Southport? How did that go for you?
34 setnaffa February 23, 2012 at 8:16 am: jk6411 is a liar. Or a poor researcher. Take your pick. And he apparently dislikes the US Constitution’s Bill of Rights–so if he’s a US Citizen he’s okay with the Government arbitrarily taking away some of his rights and if not then he’s just a busybody.
35 jk6411 February 23, 2012 at 9:10 am: @34,

Oh all right, you can keep your guns.
I realize that realistically gun ownership could never be banned in the U.S.
I was just daydreaming of an ideal U.S. where there are no shootings..

(Just today, an 8-yr old girl was shot at a school in Washington state.
And an 8-yr old boy was shot at a grocery store in the Bronx.
Sad. Very sad.)
36 ZenKimchi February 23, 2012 at 9:14 am: ::yawn:: ’90s gun control cliches on this thread.

Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.

But guns make it so beautifully efficient to kill a lot of them.

Off to my drive-by knifing…
37 Creo69 February 23, 2012 at 9:28 am: George Bush and the rest of you “Jackboot Nazis” can feel free to stop on by and try to strip me of my constitutional rights … I’m prepared for your calling.
38 iMe February 23, 2012 at 9:29 am: jk6411,
dude, guns don’t kill people. uh-uh. this guy does:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC03hmS1Brk&feature=channel_video_title

it’s true that SK is a great place to live without guns but that doesn’t quite work in america where our government is taking away our rights and generally becoming more and more taliban-like. oops. did i just say that? if you don’t hear from me for awhile, i’ll be in guantanamo bay, held against my will with no due process and no miranda rights, just for simply having spoken ill of our own government because that’s how we roll these days in the good ol’ USA. sieg heil barack obama, the greatest gun salesman EVER!
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/02/website-obama-is-greatest-gun-salesman-in-us/1#.T0WIN3JSS60
39 jk6411 February 23, 2012 at 10:05 am: #37, #38:

Wait, guys, I’m confused.
So who’s the Nazi? George Bush or Barack Obama?
40 Creo69 February 23, 2012 at 10:44 am: “Wait, guys, I’m confused.
So who’s the Nazi? George Bush or Barack Obama?”

Well, as Obama has been too much of a puss to restore the rights which George “Jackboot Nazi” Bush took from the American people I would say they both qualify equally.
41 Brendon Carr February 23, 2012 at 11:00 am: Well, as Obama has been too much of a puss to restore the rights which George “Jackboot Nazi” Bush took from the American people I would say they both qualify equally.

If you were paying closer attention, you’d have noticed that the Obama Administration has been much worse than Bush on individual liberty and Constitutionally-limited powers of the Presidency. Obama hasn’t simply “failed to restore” rights, he’s busied himself with grabbing much more power. I know it’s fun to say Bush was a “Jackboot Nazi”, but comparatively speaking, Bush was much better than Obama.
42 Creo69 February 23, 2012 at 11:24 am: “If you were paying closer attention, you’d have noticed that the Obama Administration has been much worse than Bush on individual liberty and Constitutionally-limited powers of the Presidency. Obama hasn’t simply “failed to restore” rights, he’s busied himself with grabbing much more power. I know it’s fun to say Bush was a “Jackboot Nazi”, but comparatively speaking, Bush was much better than Obama.”

Bush and and all his cronies (Cheney, Rummy, Condy, blahy, blahy) were, AND STILL ARE, a bunch of “Jackboot Nazis.”

Hey, you’re right. That is fun!

Obama is a “Jackboot Nazi.” Obama is a “towelhead?” Nahh, just not as much fun:) Maybe true, but not as much fun.
43 jk6411 February 23, 2012 at 12:36 pm: Talking about presidents..
Both the U.S. and Korea will hold presidential elections this year.
But neither country has a convincing candidate yet.
I wonder, who will be the next great president?
44 Wedge February 23, 2012 at 12:43 pm: Jesus, can’t we go past comment #37 without Godwin kicking in?

Personally, I’m not a big fan of guns and have never owned one, but don’t tell that to the criminals. The fact that they have to think twice about home invading in is a good thing in the U.S. In the UK, home invaders have rights–you’ll go to jail if you kill them.

I do agree it’s a good thing there are no guns in Korea. Even cops with their Barney Fife-like one real bullet are a good thing. Imagine “Army soldier/Marine goes on a shooting spree”-like stories every week otherwise.
45 Creo69 February 23, 2012 at 12:45 pm: “Talking about presidents..
Both the U.S. and Korea will hold presidential elections this year.
But neither country has a convincing candidate yet.
I wonder, who will be the next great president?”

What do you mean? You’ve got Gingrich … You’ve go Santorum … These are really, really great men ㅋㅋㅋ

Conservatives should have stuck with Palin. The outcome would still have been the same but at least she was good for laughs.
46 raintree_leaf February 23, 2012 at 1:43 pm: You know in Singapore there are almost zero cases of gun related killings, except for one or two policemen committing suicide . Of course it is the person that kills not the weapon, but a gun just make it so much more convenient and less messy than a knife.
47 hoju_saram February 23, 2012 at 3:32 pm: In the UK, home invaders have rights–you’ll go to jail if you kill them.

It’s a bit more complicated than that, and much the same as many US states. You’re allowed to use reasonable force, and if in the act of using reasonable force you kill an intruder, you’ll be fine. Knife a burgler? Fine. On the other hand, if, for example, a 12-year-old sneaks into your backyard to pinch a toy and you catch him, order him to kneel and then execute him, you’ll more than likely be held to account by a jury, who will decide whether or not you used excessive force.

Pretty reasonable sort of stuff IMO.
48 Wedge February 23, 2012 at 3:55 pm: I’m talking about beating an intruder who is in your house threatening your family and going to jail, which is not by any stretch reasonable. The U.S. and UK are very different on this. Hell, villagers in the UK were told by the police to stop using wire mesh on their shed windows since thieves could cut their hands while breaking in to steal their garden tools. Not even a Massachusetts cop would try that. Here’s the story:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1356388/Villagers-outraged-police-order-protect-garden-sheds.html
49 hoju_saram February 23, 2012 at 4:32 pm: That link is weird, I’ll give you that, but I’m guessing it’s a bizarre outlier. On the actual subject of defending yourself and your family against intruders, this story might alleviate you of some of your concerns. According to the cops, “People are entitled to use reasonable force in self-defence to defend themselves, their family and their property.”

The whole UK Is Soft On Home Invaders thingy seems to be bigger news in America than the UK, much like when Australia introduced strict gun controls.

Personally I think the reasonable force law is a good one, particularly when you’re dealing with unarmed children.
50 keith February 23, 2012 at 8:28 pm: @48 anyone who quotes- links to the dailyfail automatically loses all credibility. It’s a sordid little rag whose readership are mostly bigots with questionable intelligence.

Guns don’t kill people, but guns make it very easy for people to kill people. That’s why we equip the army with them rather than give them slingshots or pen knives. Cyanide doesn’t kill people, but it makes the poisoners’ hobby very easy. Fertilisers don’t kill people, but you can use some to make bombs, and are very useful to terrorists. Cars don’t kill people, irresponsible drivers do. It’s all a bit bloody obvious really isn’t it?

Gun control is a good idea. I’m not anti gun and have used firearms myself in the past. But they do need to have tight regulations – and they should not be so easily obtainable by any old nutter who wants one. The majority of firearms used in the terrible gang wars in Mexico come from the US and are responsible for many deaths, the majority of the gun crime is related to America’s ‘war on drugs’. Better regulations that would make drug trafficking less profitable (decriminalisation-regulation of drugs) and far more control on possession of firearms would save many lives in north America.

Marijuana has killed nobody, guns help kill thousands every year. Using recreational drugs irresponsibly can make you a bit slow and stupid, misusing weapons can result in mass carnage. The solution to those problems is rather obvious and begins with the letter ‘r’.
51 bibimbong February 24, 2012 at 11:15 pm: Cars can help kill people too. The guy in NJ ran over his gf with his Sonata!

On Monday, February 20, 2012, at approximately 4:55 p.m., the Fort Lee Police Department received numerous 9-1-1 calls regarding a pedestrian struck at the intersection of Anderson Avenue and Inwood Terrace. The vehicle was observed by witnesses to flee the scene. Responding officers found Aena Hong in the roadway with grave injuries. She was transported to Holy Name Hospital where she was subsequently pronounced dead at 5:54 pm.

The ensuing investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle which struck Ms. Hong, Charles ANN, a native of Korea who came to the United States in 2009, did so intentionally. Witnesses described Ms. Hong walking while arguing with the male driver, later identified as Charles ANN. Just before the incident, the vehicle was observed to drive away from Ms. Hong and turn around. As the victim was crossing the road, Charles ANN rapidly accelerated his motor vehicle, striking Ms. Hong. The investigation further revealed that after striking the victim, the driver, ANN, put the car in reverse and backed up over the victim and subsequently drove forward over the victim again. It is believed that ANN drove over Ms. Hong, going forward and backward approximately three times.

The investigation further revealed that Ms. Hong had a tumultuous dating relationship with Charles J. Ann, and was recently trying to end the relationship.

A 2011 Hyundai Sonata registered to Mr. ANN was found abandoned on Tenth Avenue in Fort Lee a few hours after the attack. Accident investigators with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit determined this was in fact the vehicle which struck and killed Ms. Hong.

After the assault on Ms. Hong and the abandonment of his vehicle, Charles ANN fled into Flushing, Queens, New York. He was subsequently located by investigators and arrested at 4:00 a.m. this morning at a friend’s apartment in Flushing, Queens, New York. The New York City Police Department assisted detectives in making the arrest. At the time of his arrest, Ann was found to be in possession of his passport and a large sum of cash. It is believed that he was attempting to flee the country. Although a naturalized citizen, Ann is a native of Korea and has ties to that country through relatives.

http://www.bcpo.net/bcpo/blog/index.php
52 john in la February 27, 2012 at 5:47 pm: #19
More people = More crimes. Law of numbers at work which you can do nothing about…