One Dead, Several Injured As Gunfire Rocks Atlanta

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ATLANTA, USA (Worthy News) – After a massive manhunt, U.S. police detained the man who allegedly opened fire in a central Atlanta medical facility on Wednesday, killing at least one person and injuring four others, authorities confirmed.

The alleged gunman, Deion Patterson, 24, was arrested in Cobb County, northwest of the city, shortly before 8 p.m. Eastern Time, said the Cobb County Police Department.

He’s facing charges related to the shooting that killed a 39-year-old woman and injured four other women at the Northside Hospital Midtown Medical building, officials said

At least three of the injured victims were sent to Grady Memorial Hospital and were in critical condition as of Wednesday evening, said Dr. Robert Jansen, the hospital’s chief of staff.

The suspect, who had served in the military, allegedly attacked his victims inside a Northside Medical building waiting room on West Peachtree Street, Atlanta’s bustling midtown neighborhood.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters that a 39-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The four injured victims were also women, aged 25, 39, 56, and 71, he explained.

The four injured women “are fighting for their lives at Grady Hospital,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said during a news conference. Schierbaum added that Patterson’s family is “being cooperative” with investigators.

In a statement, the U.S. Coast Guard said Patterson joined the service in 2018 and was discharged from active duty in January. He was an electrician’s mate in second class at the time.

DRUGS MOTIVE?

Questions remained about a possible motive for the shooting by a man who police described as “armed and dangerous.”

However, sources familiar with the case said that Patterson was angry at his “messed up” medication before allegedly attacking his victims.

During his medical appointment, he became agitated, pulled out a handgun, and allegedly started shooting, police said.

Soon after, patients and medical personnel could be seen fleeing the complex. A woman appeared shaken, saying she had seen a dead person.

“The damn [Veterans Affairs] VA gave him some messed up medication. And all he wanted was an Ativan,” his mother, Minyone Patterson, told The Daily Beast publication before hanging up.

Police initially offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to this arrest, but it was unclear whether that had played a role in his eventual detention.

It was the latest in a series of shootings in the United States that have raised concerns about the country’s future and calls for more policing.

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