Spa survivor says police cuffed him for 4 hours
ATLANTA — A man who survived the shooting that killed his wife at an Atlanta-area spa last week said police detained him in handcuffs for four hours after the attack.
Mario Gonzalez said he was held in a patrol car outside the spa. The revelation, in an interview with Mundo Hispanico, a Spanish-language news website, follows other criticism of
Cherokee County officials investigating the March 16 attack, which killed four people. Four others were killed about an hour later at two spas in Atlanta.
Gonzalez’s accusation would also mean that he remained detained after police released security video images of the suspected gunman and after authorities captured him 150 miles south of Atlanta. He questioned whether his treatment by authorities was because he’s Mexican.
The Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to an email seeking comment Monday.
Gonzalez and his wife, Delaina Ashley Yaun, 33, had gotten a babysitter for their infant daughter and went to Young’s Asian Massage to relax. They were in separate rooms inside when the gunman opened fire.
Gonzalez heard the gunshots and worried about his wife but was too afraid to open the door, he told Mundo Hispanico in a video interview. Deputies arrived within minutes.
“They had me in the patrol car the whole time they were investigating,” Gonzalez said in the video.
Gonzalez also showed marks on his wrists from the handcuffs. “I don’t know whether it’s because of the law or because I’m Mexican. The simple truth is that they treated me badly,” he said.
“Only when they finally confirmed I was her husband, did they tell me that she was dead,” he said.