Police Suspect Murder-Suicide in Norcross Spa Shooting

Updated 2:20 p.m., Wednesday

Five people were killed in what Norcross Police have confirmed as a domestic-related shooting at a Buford Highway spa Tuesday night.

Norcross Police Spokesman Capt. Brian Harr said in a press release at 1:49 p.m. Wednesday that the suspect shot his two sisters and their husbands around 8:40 p.m. inside Su Jung Health Sauna, located at 6005 Buford Highway. The shooter then shot himself.

Four of the family members were found dead inside when police responded. One victim died later at a local hospital.

Police have not yet released the names of the deceased.

In a press conference early Wednesday, Police Chief Warren Summers said the incident may be a "murder-suicide" and that the victims were targeted.

The shooter was a "frequent visitor" at the spa, he added.

Harr said the investigation indicated that the suspect was at the business earlier Tuesday when one of his sisters asked him to leave. The suspect returned to the spa at 8:40 p.m. He spoke briefly with one of his sisters, then shot the four family members and turned the gun on himself.

Their ages ranged from early 50s to mid-60s.

Surveillance cameras were able to show some scenes from the incident, said Summers. The press release says a .45 caliber handgun was recovered from the scene.

Summers said there were 20 or more people inside during the shooting. Police were interviewing witnesses Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

“We're continuing to investigate motive; why he came here and why he targeted the people he targeted,” Summers said.

Harr reported that police responded to a call of a person shot at the spa at 8:41 p.m.

11Alive News reported that the couples co-owned the spa. 11Alive also spoke with the spa owner's pastor, who said that money problems may have been involved.

Pastor Paul Song Kim of Fire and the Light Korean Baptist Church in Lawrenceville said that the suspect's wife had subleased a space in the spa's hair salon area and that the business wasn't doing well. The shooter appeared when the family was holding a meeting concerning finances, Kim continued, which is when the suspect got into an argument with the owner and then started firing.

Court documents identify the spa owner as Kang Byong Ok, according to 11Alive. 

The GBI is assisting in the investigation. GBI spokesman John Bankhead told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they sent two crime scene specialists given the number of fatally shot victims.

Bankhead added that investigators were using 3-D technology designed for architecture and construction jobs in order to recreate crime scenes in some investigations.