Paul Andre Michels: ‘very good-hearted’ handyman killed in Atlanta shootings | Atlanta spa shootings

Paul Andre Michels was a handyman with Young’s Asian Massage who was among the eight killed in the Atlanta area spa shootings on Tuesday.

John Michels, his 52-year-old brother, told the Guardian that Paul was a “very good man” who would help anyone. “He was just a normal guy, very kind, very gentle,” he said.

Paul, 54, was one of nine siblings and the family grew up in Detroit, Michigan. “Although we’re not biological twins, we were basically twins. We hung out doing everything together endlessly, ”said John Michels, remembering her youth. “Our father took us to the lake every Sunday in the summer.”

John Michels said that his late brother served in the U.S. Army in the 1980s and at one point owned a home security and theater business. “He spoke to me last year, he’s just about to own a spa,” he said.

A local business owner in the same complex who chose to remain anonymous recognized Michel’s name on the victim list published Wednesday. He said Michels, who worked as a handyman for the spa, often bought tools from his shop. Michel’s car stopped in the parking lot on Wednesday, another lasting reminder of the loss.

A friend of the Michels family, Kikiana Whidby, told CBS46 that Paul was recently unemployed doing needlework for the spa. On Tuesday he had built his last shelf for the store. “He’s been out of work for a while and that was something that occurred to him and he was really excited,” she said.

“I’m mad it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy,” she added, noting that Michels and his wife were their son’s godparents.