ATLANTA — A man who survived the shooting that killed his wife at a Georgia massage business last week said police held him in handcuffs for four hours after the attack.
Mario Gonzalez told Spanish-language news website Mundo Hispanico in a video interview that he was at a Cherokee County spa on March 16 when a gunman shot and killed four people, including his wife. The same gunman allegedly killed four others at two other Atlanta-area spas shortly thereafter.
Gonzalez told Mundo Hispanico that he and his wife, Delaina Ashley Yaun got a babysitter for their infant daughter and went to the spa to relax. They were in separate rooms when Gonzalez said he heard the gunshots, and while he worried for his wife's safety he was too afraid to open the door.
Cherokee County sheriff's deputies arrived minutes later. The website says deputies detained him in handcuffs for about four hours outside the spa.
Gonzalez questions whether they treated him badly because he's Mexican.
The sheriff's office said Monday that it would not have any further comment on the case and is focusing on the investigation and prosecution.
The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office has already faced criticism for its handling of the case after a spokesperson told reporters at a March 17 press conference that the suspected shooter had “a really bad day” and “this is what he did.” The spokesperson, Capt. Jay Baker, has since been removed from the case.