UPDATED 7:34 P.M.
ATLANTA (Reuters) -Police have arrested the man suspected of killing one woman and wounding four others in a shooting spree on Wednesday at a medical building in midtown Atlanta, then carjacking a vehicle to flee the scene, authorities said.
The accused gunman, identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, a former U.S. Coast Guardsman whom Atlanta police had described earlier as “armed and dangerous,” was taken into custody north of the city in suburban Cobb County, several hours after the 12:30 p.m. EDT shooting at Northside Medical, authorities said.
The Cobb County Police Department announced the arrest on Twitter. No details were immediately provided.
Cobb County police earlier said Patterson was last spotted in images captured shortly after the shooting by a surveillance camera in the vicinity of the parking garage where the carjacked vehicle was later recovered, police said.
All five victims slain or wounded in the attack were women. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told a press conference that it was too early in the investigation to determine if they had been deliberately targeted, or if they were patients or employees.
The gunman arrived at the medical center with his mother, the chief said, but she was not injured. Police said she was cooperating with investigators.
Little was immediately known about the suspect’s background.
The U.S. Coast Guard said Patterson joined the guard in July 2018 and was discharged from active duty in January, after having last served as an electrician’s mate second class. No reason for his discharge was given.
(Reporting by Rich McKay, Tyler Clifford and Dan WhitcombEditing by Doina Chiacu, Cynthia Osterman, Matthew Lewis and Leslie Adler)
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ATLANTA (Reuters) -A gunman opened fire at a medical building in midtown Atlanta on Wednesday, killing a 39-year-old woman and wounding four others before carjacking a vehicle to flee, police said on Wednesday.
The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, remained at large several hours after the 12:30 p.m. EDT shooting at Northside Medical, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at an afternoon news conference.
Schierbaum said the gun used in the shooting had not been recovered and that Patterson should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
All five victims slain or wounded in the attack were women. Schierbaum said it was too early in the investigation to determine if they had been deliberately targeted, or if they were patients or employees. The gunman arrived at the medical center with his mother, the chief said, but she was not injured.
The suspect fled the medical center following the gun rampage and carjacked a nearby driver to flee the scene, Schierbaum said. That car had later been recovered.
The chief asked for help from the public in finding the gunman but cautioned that citizens should not approach him.
Police posted four photographs of the suspect on Twitter. They showed a man in a doorway, his arm raised and pointing what appeared to be a handgun. His target was not visible in the photos.
The suspect had a mask over his face and nose and was wearing a sweatshirt and carrying a brown backpack.
The four wounded women, all of whom were adults, were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Three victims were in critical condition and undergoing surgery while the fourth was being treated in the emergency room, the hospital’s chief medical officer, Robert Jansen, said during a news conference.
Schierbaum described them as “fighting for their lives.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens advised people in the area to shelter in place during the shooting, and police cordoned off some streets in Midtown.
Atlanta Public Schools said several schools in the area would operate on external lockdown for the rest of the day as a precaution.
(Reporting by Rich McKay, Tyler Clifford and Dan WhitcombEditing by Doina Chiacu, Cynthia Osterman and Matthew Lewis)
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ATLANTA (Reuters) – At least one person was killed in a lunchtime shooting at a medical building in a busy commercial area of Atlanta, and the suspected gunman was still at large, police said on Wednesday.
Police, who said at least four people were hospitalized after the gunfire, responded to calls about an active shooter just after 12:30 p.m. ET in the Midtown section of the city, the Atlanta Police Department said in a tweet.
Authorities identified the suspected shooter as 24-year-old Deion Patterson and said he was armed and dangerous.
Police posted four photographs of the suspect on Twitter. They showed a man in a doorway, his arm raised and pointing what appeared to be a handgun. His target was not visible in the photos.
The suspect had a mask over his face and nose and was wearing a sweatshirt and carrying a brown backpack.
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect and any other victims,” the department said.
The four injured people, all of whom were adults, were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital. Three victims were in critical condition and undergoing surgery while the fourth was being treated in the emergency room, the hospital’s chief medical officer, Robert Jansen, said during a news conference.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens advised people in the area to shelter in place, and police cordoned off some streets in Midtown.
About an hour after the gunfire, a SWAT team gathered near the High Art Museum, about three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) from the shooting scene, according to a video posted on Twitter by a local CBS affiliate.
Atlanta Public Schools said several schools in the area would operate on external lockdown for the rest of the day as a precaution.
(Reporting by Rich McKay and Tyler Clifford; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Cynthia Osterman)
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ATLANTA (Reuters) -At least one person was killed in a shooting at a medical building in Atlanta on Wednesday, and three others were taken to hospitals, according to police, who said the suspect is still at large.
Police responded to calls about an active shooter just after 12:30 p.m. local time in the midtown section of the city, the Atlanta Police Department said in a tweet.
“Anyone in the area is asked to secure their building and shelter in place. Anyone not in the area is asked to stay away,” the department said in a separate tweet.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a tweet that he was in contact with police and advised people to in the area to shelter in place.
Atlanta police posted four photographs of the suspect, who appeared to walk into an office doorway and raise his arm pointing what appeared to be a handgun as if he was taking aim. The image does not show what he might have been targeting. The suspect had a mask over his face and nose and was wearing a sweatshirt and carrying a brown backpack.
“Officers are actively searching for the suspect and any other victims,” the department said on the social media platform.
Video footage from local media showed a heavy police and emergency presence on the street responding to the area.
(Reporting by Rich McKay and Tyler Clifford; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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ATLANTA (Reuters) -One person was killed and three others hospitalized in a shooting at a medical building in Atlanta on Wednesday, police said in a tweet, and a suspect is still at large.
Police responded to an active shooter just after 12:30 p.m. local time in the midtown section of the city, the Atlanta Police Department said in a tweet.
“Anyone in the area is asked to secure their building and shelter in place. Anyone not in the area is asked to stay away,” the department said in a separate tweet.
Atlanta police posted four photographs of the suspect, who appeared to walk into an office doorway and raise his arm. The suspect had a mask over his face and nose and was wearing a sweatshirt and a brown backpack.
(Reporting by Rich McKay and Tyler Clifford; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
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ATLANTA (Reuters) – One person was killed and three others injured in a shooting at a medical building in Atlanta on Wednesday, police said, and a suspect is still at large.
(Reporting by Rich McKay and Tyler Clifford; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
This story will be updated.
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ATLANTA – An active shooter situation in Midtown Atlanta.
Atlanta Police are urging people in the area of Peachtree Street northwest to shelter in place, and others to stay out of the area.
The Atlanta FOX-TV affiliate reports the shooting took place in the area of an hospital.
Police say there are multiple people injured.
Police are said to be looking for a suspect, who may be holed up inside a building.
More details when they become available.
APD is investigating an active shooter in the area of 1110 W Peachtree St NW. Please shelter in place, or stay out of the area. pic.twitter.com/uRIBECRQDT
— Atlanta Police Department (@Atlanta_Police) May 3, 2023
