Images: Atlanta Police Department, https://twitter.com/Atlanta_Police/status/1653833540432281600?s=20
Atlanta police have identified a suspect who they said was still at large as of 2:46 p.m. after one person was shot dead and four were injured, three critically, on Wednesday afternoon in an Atlanta hospital.
The Atlanta Police Department asked area residents to stay inside, saying it was investigating “an active-shooter situation” in the area of 1110 W. Peachtree St. NW in Midtown Atlanta that began at around 12:30 p.m. at the Northside Hospital Midtown medical office.
At least five people were shot and one was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Four people were transported to a hospital for treatment, three in critical condition, Robert Jansen, chief medical officer at Grady Health System, told The Washington Post. None of the people shot have been publicly identified.
Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, saying he was “armed and dangerous.” They tweeted images from surveillance footage showing Patterson holding a gun and wearing a hooded sweatshirt and what appeared to be a bag and mask.
At a news conference, Atlanta Police Department spokesperson Chata Spikes said that Patterson and his mother arrived Wednesday for a medical appointment for him. He became angry and started shooting a handgun, Spikes said.
Minyone Patterson, the suspect’s mother, was not injured and is cooperating with police, authorities said. She told the Daily Beast that her son was upset because Veterans Affairs “gave him some messed up medication.” She added that her son was hoping to be given Ativan, a benzodiazepine prescribed to relieve anxiety and alleviate insomnia. It can also help treat seizure disorders, such as epilepsy. It’s unclear why Deion Patterson wanted the drug, Washington Post reported.
Georgia residents no longer have to carry a permit to carry a gun after new legislation signed by Gov. Brian Kemp (R) went into effect on Jan. 1.
Close to 14,000 people have died of gun violence in the U.S. in 2023 as of Monday, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
