A man suspected of shooting and killing the owner of an East Point beauty supply shop during an apparent robbery Tuesday has been arrested, police said.
Nathan Huff, 43, was taken into custody at the Oakland City MARTA station. He will face multiple charges, including murder, East Point police spokesman Capt. Allyn Glover said Wednesday morning.
Hyun Chan Cha, 69, was shot twice inside Beauty World in a Washington Road strip mall, according to Glover. Officers responded to the business after getting reports of a person down and found Cha wounded.
She was treated by East Point Fire Rescue and taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she died.
Glover told Channel 2 Action News that Huff was casing some businesses in the area and chose the beauty supply shop. Huff forced Cha to turn over some money, then shot her, he said.
“Her life was worth a few hundred bucks to him,” Glover said.
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
Credit: John Spink / John.Spink@ajc.com
A memorial was growing Wednesday morning outside the shop, where mourners left cards and flowers for the business owner and beloved member of the community.
According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Huff has already served years in prison for a previous robbery. After committing an armed robbery in 1999, he was convicted and sent to prison in 2004. Huff was released in January 2016 after serving less than 12 years of a 20-year sentence, state records show.
East Point police said late Tuesday they were developing “strong leads” in the case and working around the clock. Investigators initially released a photo of the suspect taken from security camera footage, and on Wednesday released a photo of a second person they said they were also hoping to identify. Police did not say if the second person was also a suspect or a person of interest.
The investigation remains active despite Huff’s arrest, Glover said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 404-761-2177 or email policedepartment@eastpointcity.org. Tipsters can remain anonymous, and be eligible for rewards of up to $2,000, by contacting Crime Stoppers Atlanta at 404-577-8477, texting information to 274637 or visiting the Crime Stoppers website.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
About the Author
