Atlanta shooting suspect apprehended, police say
Police say they have apprehended Deion Patterson in connection with a Wednesday shooting in Atlanta that killed one and injured four others.
LEARN MOREPosted: 10:58 a.m. EDT May 4, 2023
The 24-year-old suspect accused in the shooting Wednesday afternoon at a medical office in Atlanta has officially been charged.
He's facing one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault, police records show. One person was killed in the attack, and four others were injured.
The shooting at Northside Medical Midtown prompted a heavy police presence and a shelter-in-place order for the majority of the Midtown area, including schools, businesses and restaurants.
Amy St. Pierre, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employee.
"CDC is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting,” spokesperson Benjamin Haynes said in a statement. “Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss.”
St. Pierre was one of five women shot in the waiting room of the medical building. The other four women — Lisa Glynn, Georgette Whitlow, Jazzmin Daniel and Alesha Hollinger — are now recovering at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Police say the suspected shooter walked out of the facility, hopped into an unattended pickup truck and headed toward Cobb County, about 25–35 minutes away from Midtown, where he was eventually found hiding out at an apartment complex. He was captured Wednesday night after the eight-hour manhunt.
This was a coordinated capture with several agencies working together, and tips from the public and technology also played a vital role, according to officials.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp thanked law enforcement for the coordinated response.
"These heroes demonstrated yet again their professionalism, courage, and unwavering dedication to protecting their fellow Georgians," Kemp wrote in a tweet.
Meanwhile, the White House called on Congress to do more to protect communities.
"We know that more needs to be done. We know that Congress needs to take more steps to deal with the violence that we’re seeing, again, in our communities, our schools, our churches, which just should not be. It should not be," said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, acknowledging that the president is "frustrated" about the "gun violence epidemic."
Scripps News has learned the suspect had been discharged from the Coast Guard back in January, although it’s not immediately clear why.
According to CNN, his mother said he was dissatisfied with the care he’d been receiving from the Department of Veterans Affairs and was seeking new treatment.
