Police say a suspect has been apprehended in connection with a Wednesday shooting inside a medical office building in Midtown Atlanta.
Police said 24-year-old Deion Patterson began shooting inside a waiting room. Police did not say what led up to the shooting.
39-year-old Amy St. Pierre was killed at the scene and four others were wounded, authorities said. The injured, who were taken to a local hospital for treatment, range in age from 25 to 71.
Hospital officials said two of the victims needed surgery and one required radiology intervention. A fourth victim did not require surgery, official said.
The incident was initially being investigated as an active shooter, but police said no shots were fired after the initial shooting. Portions of Atlanta sheltered in place during the incident.
Police say Patterson fled the hospital and carjacked a vehicle that had been left running at a gas station. Police released photos of the suspect taken by security cameras inside the office building hoping it would help lead to tips from the public and his arrest.
Police arrested Patterson in Cobb County, northwest of Atlanta.
BOLO - Suspect is still at large. pic.twitter.com/M8GkXa8dmM
— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) May 3, 2023
Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff called the shooting at an Atlanta hospital a "horrific attack" and thanked first responders.
Ossoff said, "The level of gun violence in America today is unconscionable and unacceptable, and policymakers at all levels have a responsibility to ensure public safety and implement long-overdue reforms."
Patterson's mother Minyone Patterson told The Associated Press he was a former U.S. Coast Guardsman and that he may have been affected by medication he had started taking on Friday. She said he had been seeking Ativan from the VA to address anxiety and depression, but did not receive it.
The Coast Guard said in a statement that Patterson joined the service in 2018 and was discharged from active duty in January. He was an electrician’s mate second class at the time.
'Active shooter' casualties hit 5-year high in 2022, FBI says
An FBI report counted 50 active shooter incidents in 2022, which left behind 313 casualties. 100 people were killed, not including the shooters.
