A man suspected of shooting five women inside an Atlanta medical facility waiting room is in custody, the Atlanta Police Department confirmed. One woman was killed and four others were wounded by a gunman inside a downtown medical office building on Wednesday; the shooting occurred at 12:42 p.m. EDT inside a building on West Peachtree Street between 12th and 13th Streets.
The Atlanta Police Department announced the apprehension of Deion Patterson, 24, following a manhunt that lasted almost eight hours. Police say he was arrested near the Truist Park baseball stadium after stealing a pickup truck near the scene of the shooting. Patterson was taken into custody around 8 p.m. Officers said his family has been cooperating in the investigation.
Robert Jansen, Chief Medical Officer at Grady Memorial Hospital, told reporters that three of the four women injured in the shooting are considered “critically ill” and are in the intensive care unit. Two of the patients underwent surgery Wednesday, and a third victim underwent an interventional radiology procedure to repair vascular injuries. The fourth victim is in stable condition.
The Northside Hospital building, where the shooting took place, will be closed Thursday and all appointments canceled. The hospital, which houses a cancer center, a radiology unit and orthopedics, issued a statement after the shooting, saying “this tragedy is affecting all of us, and we ask for patience and prayers at this time.”
Editorial credit: Billy F Blume Jr / Shutterstock.com