According to authorities, a man accused of killing one woman and injuring four others at an Atlanta hospital on Wednesday, May 3, has been apprehended after an hours-long manhunt.
Deion Patterson, 24, was arrested without incident at a condominium complex in neighbouring Cobb County, officials said at a news conference Wednesday night announcing his arrest.
Patterson entered the Northside Hospital medical facility around lunchtime and began firing, according to police. According to a law enforcement source, the suspect became irritated while waiting for an appointment and pulled out a weapon and started fire.
The guy allegedly took an unattended truck at a nearby gas station after leaving the facility in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood and proceeded north to Cobb County. The vehicle’s license plate was noticed on license plate-reading cameras near a facility near the Atlanta Braves’ ballpark, according to Atlanta police.
One person was killed and four people were injured in a horrific shooting in Midtown Atlanta.
Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said at Wednesday night’s briefing that after receiving many calls from the public about possible sightings of the suspect, an operator flagged to a 911 dispatcher that one of the sightings appeared real.
VanHoozer said an undercover cop who subsequently discovered and approached the suspect asked for assistance, and the arrest was made without incident after eight hours of searching.
He is accused of shooting and killing a 39-year-old woman and injuring four other people. As of Wednesday evening, three of the injured individuals were in critical condition and the fourth was in stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital.
Amy St. Pierre, an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was identified as the deceased woman. “CDC is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting,” said a CDC representative to CBS News. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember and mourn her tragic loss.”
According to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, the injured women ranged in age from 25 to 71 years old.
The suspect’s family has been collaborating with investigators, according to Schierbaum, and officials verified the family’s assistance on Wednesday evening.
The suspect’s mother expressed her sympathies to the victims and stated her son suffered from mental illness in an interview with CBS affiliate WANF.
“He doesn’t know,” Minyone Patterson said. “Right now, he doesn’t know. Please. This mental disorder is genuine, and when we say real, we mean it from a medical aspect. And when someone says they need help or you notice them acting strangely, they need help. Help them, but don’t ignore them. They require assistance, and while I was attempting to advocate for my son, he was turned down.”
