Last update: 04 May 2023, 03:17 IST
Law enforcement officers arrive near the scene of an active shooter Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Alex Slitz)
Police were called to the Northside Medical building on West Peachtree Street in a commercial area filled with office towers and high-rise apartments
Police say a man opened fire in the waiting room of an Atlanta medical facility, killing one woman and injuring four others on Wednesday as authorities swarmed the bustling downtown area at the search for the 24-year-old suspect.
Shortly after noon, police were called to the Northside Medical building on West Peachtree Street in a commercial area filled with office towers and high-rise apartments.
Atlanta police said the suspected shooter was Deion Patterson and was considered armed and dangerous. Authorities released a photo of Patterson and asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to call 911 and not approach him.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters a 39-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The four injured victims were also women, aged 25, 39, 56 and 71.
These four are “fighting for their lives at Grady Hospital,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at a press conference.
Four hours after the shooting, police said they believed Patterson had left the scene. They lifted a shelter-in-place notice, but asked people to stay away from the area due to the active investigation.
“This is very active research,” Schierbaum said. “We are following credible leads that are currently active in Cobb County, as well as some here in the city.”
Atlanta police said they are aware of a carjacking that happened shortly after the shooting a few blocks away. They said the vehicle was recovered in suburban Cobb County and they were working to determine if the vehicle was linked to the shooting.
Schierbaum added that Patterson’s family is “cooperating” with investigators.
In a statement, the US Coast Guard said Patterson joined the service in 2018 and was discharged in January. He was an electrician’s second class at the time.
Crime Stoppers offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest and charge.
The shooting comes as cities across the United States were ravaged by gun violence and mass shootings in 2023.
Shortly after the shooting, US Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia spoke in the Senate to speak out against gun violence and urge his colleagues to push forward gun reform.
“There have been so many mass shootings…that, tragically, we act like it’s routine,” Warnock said during a 12-minute speech. “We behave as if it were normal. It is not normal.”
The Atlanta pastor added, “I shudder to say this, but the truth is, in a real sense, it’s only a matter of time before this kind of tragedy knocks on your door.”
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
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