Atlanta mass shooting – latest: Midtown attack victim named as suspect charged with murder after manhunt
Amy St Pierre was killed when suspected gunman Deion Patterson opened fire at Midtown Atlanta’s Northside Hospital
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The woman killed in the mass shooting at an Atlanta medical centre has now been identified as a 38-year-old CDC worker.
Amy St. Pierre was killed on Wednesday when suspected gunman Deion Patterson opened fire at Midtown Atlanta’s Northside Hospital.
The shooting unfolded when Mr Patterson, who used to be in the US Coast Guard, was attending an appointment with his mother. He allegedly pulled out a handgun and opened fire in the waiting room, shooting five women.
St Pierre died while the four other victims – aged 25 to 71 – are fighting for their lives in hospital.
Mr Patterson, 24, fled the scene by carjacking a vehicle close to the hospital, police said.
A huge manhunt ensued before he was tracked down to Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta, where he was arrested
A local resident told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the suspect was found hiding near a condo complex’s pool after dogs began barking at him.
Mr Patterson’s mother, Minyone Patterson, said her son had “some mental instability going on” from medication he received from the Veterans Affairs health system that he began taking on Friday.
Atlanta gunman found hiding near pool after barking dogs alerted neighbours, report says
Deion Patterson: Everything we know about the at-large Atlanta mass shooting suspect
Everything we know about the Atlanta mass shooting that left one dead, three others hospitalised
Deion Patterson was angry at ‘messed up’ meds before killing one and injuring three others, says mother
Were ‘mess up’ meds to blame for Atlanta shooting?
Atlanta mass shooting suspect Deion Patterson was angry at his “messed up” medication before he allegedly killed one woman and injured four others at a hospital in the city.
The suspect, who used to serve in the US Coast Guard, remains on the loose and a massive manhunt is underway after police warned that the 24-year-old is “considered armed and dangerous.” “DO NOT approach him,” tweeted Atlanta Police Department as they identified him.
The suspect, who has a military background, had originally attended a medical appointment at the building on Wednesday at which he was accompanied by his mother, reported CNN.
During the appointment he became agitated, pulled out a handgun and allegedly started shooting, a police source told the news network.
Graeme Massie has the full story.
Hunt for gunman as one dead and more wounded in Atlanta shooting
Atlanta Police Department release multiple images of gunman from inside medical building
As shootings continue, US states further loosen gun laws
Many US states continue to weaken their gun laws, even as mass shootings rage on.
As we reported in March, in the weeks before six people, including three nine-year-old children, were fatally shot inside a Nashville school, Tennessee lawmakers considered several pieces of legislation to loosen restrictions on firearms.
The proposals were introduced two years after Republican Governor Bill Lee signed a bill into law that makes it easier for people to openly carry handguns in the state without a permit. Tennessee is one of 25 states with a permitless concealed carry law, a measure that has been rapidly adopted by lawmakers across the US as part of what right-wing activists have called a “constitutional carry” movement in recognition of the Second Amendment.
The same year Tennessee’s legislation was signed into law, lawmakers approved similar measures in Arizona, Iowa, Montana, Texas and Utah. In 2022, lawmakers passed similar bills in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is expected to sign a similar measure into law this year after its passage in a GOP-controlled legislature.
Read Alex Woodward’s full report.
Tennessee is among half of US states with permitless concealed carry law
State lawmakers are pushing legislation to expand the state’s ‘constitutional carry’ law while under scrutiny for a surge in gun deaths over the last decade
Atlanta mayor thanks police after mass shooting suspect apprehended
“Law enforcement have taken the suspect into custody thanks to the highly trained police officers,” Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens said during a press conference on Wednesday. “We were able to bring this supect into custody wiuthout further harm.”
“Not only did law enforcement bring this man into custody, they also kept our community safe during an enormously tense afternoon and evening.”
APD chief praises ‘capable, confident’ response
Atlanta police officials are praising police for swiftly capturing an individual wanted for shooting five people at a local hospital.
Atlanta police chief Darin Schierbaum called the investigation a “capable, confident” response.
“In this most dire of cistumstances you have shown what you do daily,” he said.
Atlanta police officials said they were able to locate the suspect after flagging a license plate number on a pickup truck he stole as he fled the scene into Cobb County.
Technology played ‘huge role’ in arrest of shooting suspect
Advanced surveillance technology played a “huge role” in capturing the gunman wanted for shooting five people at an Atlanta hospital on Wednesday.
Officials said a key break in the case came when investigators spotted a license plate number on a vehicle the gunman allegedly stole.
“Those tools are what really got us the clues we needed to make this successful,” Cobb County police chief Stuart VanHoozer said during a press conference on Wednesday.
The police official said officers checked multiple locations including a construction site as they accumulated information about the suspect, believed to be Deion Patterson.
Eventually, Mr VanHoozer said, an undercover officer confronted the suspect, and officers were able to swoop in and arrest him without incident.
Barking dogs allegedly tipped police off about shooting suspect
After an hourslong manhunt, barking dogs were what ultimately helped police find the gunman accused of shooting five people at an Atlanta hospital.
Witnesses told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution police were already on their street at a condominiuim complex in Cobb County when a woman named Christy Colwell told officers about a local pool and washhouse deep in the woods.
“I thought that would be a great place for someone to hide out until dark,” Ms Colwell told the paper. “Ten seconds later, (police) came running back to us, told us to get on the grass, and then all of a sudden there were 30 police cars all heading down there.”
Shooter was reportedly unhappy with VA care
Deion Patterson, a discharged Coast Guard veteran, was unhappy with the care he was receiving from the Department of Veteran Affairs and was seeking new treatment, his mother informed investigators, an APD source told CNN.
Mr Patterson allegedly killed one woman and wounded four others in a waiting room on the 11th floor of the medical building in midtown Atlanta on Wednesday.
Police used digital billboards to help capture Atlanta shooting suspect
Police used digital billboards as part of their search for a man suspected of shooting at least five people at an Atlanta-area hospital on Wednesday.
Atlanta law enforcement announced a suspect had been captured on Wednesday evening.
Local media reports the arrest took place at the Waterford Place Condominiums in Cobb County.
Alleged gunman was recently discharged from Coast Guard
Deion Patterson, the man wanted for allegedly shooting multiple people at an Atlanta-area medical facility on Wednesday, was recently discharged from the US Coast Guard.
The military branch said it was working with police to investigate the alleged gunman.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the victims and their families,” the Coast Guard said in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The Coast Guard Investigative Service is working closely with the Atlanta Police Department and local authorities in the investigation. Mr. Patterson entered the Coast Guard in July 2018 and last served as an Electrician’s Mate Second Class.”
Atlanta mayor calls for stronger gun laws after hospital shooting
Atlanta mayor Andre Dickens says Wednesday’s mass shooting a hospital is a sign of America’s gun violence problem.
“This was a horrible act of gun violence,” he said. “Equally horrifying is we know this is not unique in our country. In 2023 alone, there have been nearly 200 reported instances of mass shootings in America.”
The official called for stronger gun laws like red flag provisions to prevent future tragedies.