This Wednesday, police arrested a man accused of opening fire inside the waiting room of a Midtown Atlanta medical building killing one woman and wounding four. Police said in a statement that the suspect, whom they identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, was taken into custody in Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta.
On Thursday, Cobb County Police Chief Staurt Vanhoozer said, “What was his intent, I can’t say. Was he lying in wait? Would he have done something out of desperation to get away? Who knows,”
The narrative goes that Patterson had an appointment at Northside Medical building, to which he was refused the anti-anxiety medication, Ativan. Seconds later, Patterson got angry and opened fire that lasted about two minutes. Authorities say he then went to a Shell gas station and took a pickup truck that had been left running and unattended. News of the shooting prompted workers and others in the neighborhood, which is filled with office towers and high-rise apartments, to shelter in place for hours.
According to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, all five people who were shot are women. The death of one victim was 39 years old and the other injured victims ranged from age 25-71. Grady Hospital officials say three of the victims are in critical condition while another was still in the emergency department.
Patterson now faces one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault, Fulton County jail records show.
Major Dickens applauded the fact Patterson was arrested and taken into custody alive so he could be prosecuted.
“I hope the city, the region, rests easy that he is in custody, but I hope that we all stay vigilant to continue to look at a future where individuals who shouldn’t have a gun in possession won’t have one, and also that individuals are brought to justice, and also that we deal with these things that are mental health or easy access to guns.”
