Randy Park said his mother was the only family he and his brother had in America. Now the Gwinnett County brothers are struggling to figure out how to make their way without her.
Hyun Jung Grant of Duluth died Tuesday in a shooting rampage at Atlanta spas that killed eight people, six of them Asian women. A GoFundMe page set up by Park, 23 has raised more than $2 million.
“I will live the rest of my days grateful for what has essentially given my family a second chance,” Park wrote. “My mother can rest easy knowing I have the support of the world with me.”
MORE: The families left behind after the Atlanta spa shootings
Grant was among those who perished at Gold Spa, one of two Piedmont Road spas where 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long now admits opening fire. Four people were shot at an Acworth spa Tuesday evening prior to the Atlanta spa shootings.
Grant’s death left her children grieving and fearful they’d have to move. Park wrote that his biggest priority is putting his mother to rest and providing for his and his brother’s daily lives.
“She was one of my best friends and the strongest influence on who we are today,” Park wrote. “Losing her has put a new lens on my eyes on the amount of hate that exists in our world. As much as I want to grieve and process the reality that she is gone, I have a younger brother to take care of and matters to resolve as a result of this tragedy.”
Long told investigators he has a sex addiction and decided to kill people to stamp out his own desires. Officials haven’t said if they believe race motivated the shooting, but experts say the case could well fall under the law as a hate crime.
The Cherokee County shooting victims were Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, of Acworth; Paul Andre Michels, 54, of Atlanta; Xiaojie Tan, 49, of Kennesaw; and Daoyou Feng, 44, of Kennesaw. A fifth victim, Elcias Hernandez-Ortiz, 30, of Acworth, was in stable condition Wednesday.
Investigators on Friday also released the names of the Atlanta victims The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified them as Yong Ae Yue, 63, Soon Chung Park, 74, Suncha Kim, 69, and Grant, 51.
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