Who is Mario Gonzalez? Husband of Atlanta shooting victim handcuffed by cops as wife lay dying inside spa
Mario Gonzalez, husband of Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez -- one of the eight victims of shooter Robert Aaron Long -- was initially handcuffed by police after escaping from the gunman. He had pleaded with the police while giving information about his dying wife, who was still inside.
Gonzalez's niece, Jessica Gonzalez, 20, told The Daily Mail, "He was in handcuffs for like two hours because they thought it might be him." Jessica was recalling conversations with her uncle who had gone to Youngs Asian Massage parlor with his wife, Delaina, to get massages.
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Jessica said, "He's very upset and angry about that. He was handcuffed for something he didn't do. I think it was a racial thing. He was the only one left in handcuffs." She continued, "He kept asking, 'Where's my wife? Where's my wife' and nobody would give him an answer. He didn't get any answers until a couple hours later."
Young's Parlor in Acworth, Cherokee County was the first location attacked by Long, who went on to attack two downtown Atlanta parlors. Delaina, who married Mario Gonzalez in 2020, is survived by Gonzalez, and her two children, an eight-month-old girl and a 14-year-old boy. She worked as a cook at the Waffle House located just over five miles from Young's Parlor and had been working there since 2013.
Jessica said of her uncle's relationship with Delaina, "One day my uncle, out of the blue, said he had a girlfriend and I was like, 'Oh my God.' He never had a girlfriend. He said they met at Waffle House and exchanged numbers and Facebook information. I'd never seen him with anyone, so when he told me he had a girlfriend, I was very excited for him. I encouraged him, told him I was very happy."
Jessica said of the night of the attack that Gonzalez and his wife, Delaina, were in separate rooms waiting for their massages to start when they heard shooting. Shooter Robert Long shot Delaina and four others, including the owner, before fleeing.
"My uncle screamed for his wife, but he didn't see her," Jessica said. After he ran out, police pulled up, cuffed Gonzalez, and placed him in a patrol car.
Alex Acosta, who worked next door to the parlor at Gabby's Boutique, recognized Gonzalez on the sidewalk and approached him. Acosta told The Daily Mail, "Mario looked at me and he told me his wife was still inside. He told me to tell the police." When Acosta's wife told a police officer about Delaina, the officer responded, "I know."
Gonzalez also spoke to The Daily Mail in Spanish, telling the outlet that he was very upset and too traumatized to talk at this time. He said he had been struggling to maintain focus to care for his baby and to plan for a funeral. Jessica told the outlet, "He's mourning. He's not sleeping, trying to be with his baby right now."