Suspect in Atlanta Medical Facility Shooting in Custody
Atlanta police have arrested and charged a man for opening fire on people in the waiting area of a medical facility on 3 May.
Deion Patterson is accused of killing one woman and wounding four other women in the waiting area of the Northside Hospital Midtown Medical building, according to the police.
There for an appointment with his mother, Patterson allegedly began shooting shortly after arriving a little before noon, with the attack lasting roughly two minutes, according to The Washington Post. One woman, Amy St. Pierre, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other four were reported to be in critical but stable condition and ranged in age from 25 to 71.
After the attack, Patterson left the site and took an unattended pickup truck. “Authorities swarmed the city’s midtown neighborhood shortly after noon in search of the shooter,” the Associated Press reported. People in the commercial area sheltered in place for hours while law enforcement searched for Patterson.
Patterson, 24, was eventually arrested near recreational facilities close to a condominium complex in Cobb County. Law enforcement credited technology and cooperation in Patterson’s capture and arrest.
After his arrest, he was charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault. Police are still investigating the attack and have not disclosed a possible motive.
In a call with the AP, Patterson’s mother, Minyone Patterson, said that the appointment was for her son who was experiencing recent mental health issues, which Miyone speculated were in reaction to medication he started taking the previous Friday.
Miyone, a nurse, said that Patterson, a former Coast Guardsman, had requested “Ativan to deal with anxiety and depression but that the Veterans Affairs health system wouldn’t give it to him,” the AP said.
As of Wednesday, Patterson was booked into the Fulton County Rice Street Jail and was admitted to the facility’s medical observation unit, Fox News reported.
In a statement from the Coast Guard, Patterson was discharged from active duty in January 2023 while serving as an electrician’s mate second class. He had given almost five years of service.
Patterson’s victim, St. Pierre, has been identified as an employee for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Healthcare environments are not strangers to violence and hospitals are often ranked as some of the most dangerous workplaces. Read more about workplace safety in Security Management's recent focus on the issue.
