The shooting took place inside a facility at Northside Hospital.
A gunman opened fire inside a medical building in the US city of Atlanta, killing one and wounding four, the Atlanta Police Department said in a series of tweets. The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, was arrested several hours after the shooting.
Police said in the CCTV footage, he was seen with a gun in his hand and that he had stolen a vehicle to flee the scene.
Patterson, a former US Coast Guardsman, was taken into custody in suburban Cobb County north of the city several hours after the shooting at Northside Medical.
Police Chief Darrin Shirbaum said at a news conference that all of the victims were women and that the shooting took place in the hospital waiting room. Mr. Shirbaum indicated that the shooter’s mother was among the people in the room but that she was not the shooting victim.
Earlier, Atlanta police posted four photos of Patterson on Twitter to warn residents. He is seen walking to an office door and raising his hand to point at an object that appears to be a handgun. The image does not show who he may have been targeting.
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Suspect’s name – Deion Patterson
Date of Birth: 10/98call 911 — don’t approach her
they are considered armed and dangerous https://t.co/9ZonHDFPva— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) May 3, 2023
Three people have been admitted to the hospital, while the fourth has been declared brought dead.
Police have identified the suspect as Deion Patterson, who remains on the run.
Northside Hospital said in a do that they are cooperating with the authorities.
“Northside Hospital is cooperating with law enforcement following the shooting at our Midtown #Atlanta location this afternoon. We urge people in the area to shelter in place and follow the instructions of law enforcement at the scene. This tragedy we Everyone is affected, and we ask for patience and prayers at this time,” the hospital said.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a tweet that he was in contact with police and advised people in the area to shelter in place. “I am in close contact with the Atlanta Police Department as they are responding to an active shooting situation in Midtown near 1100 W Peachtree. Those in the area should take shelter in place,” he said.
I am in close contact with the Atlanta Police Department as they are responding to an active shooting situation in Midtown near 1100 W Peachtree. The people of the area should be given shelter in place. follow @atlanta_police for update. stay tuned.
— Andre Dickens (@andreforatlanta) May 3, 2023
About an hour after the shootings, a SWAT team gathered near the Museum of High Art, about 3/4 mile (1.21 km) from the site of the shooting, according to a video posted to Twitter by a local CBS affiliate.
Atlanta Public Schools said several schools were temporarily closed “out of an abundance of caution”, Reuters reported.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 180 mass shootings — defined as four or more people being injured or killed — in the United States so far this year. With more firearms than residents, the United States has the highest rate of gun-related deaths of any developed country: 49,000 in 2021, up from 45,000 a year earlier.
The White House said that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been briefed about the Atlanta shooting. Spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president had “more steps to take to deal with the violence that we are seeing in our communities or schools or churches.”
“The American people should be able to feel free to go to the grocery store, to go to church,” Jean-Pierre said.