Atlanta shooting suspect apprehended, police say

Posted at 9:18 PM, May 3, 2023 and last updated 11:10 AM, May 4, 2023

ATLANTA (Scripps News) – Police say Deion Patterson has been apprehended in connection with a Wednesday shooting inside a medical office building in Midtown Atlanta.

Police said he began shooting inside a waiting room. Police did not say what led up to the shooting.

Booking photo of Deion Patterson

This photo released by the Atlanta Police Department on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, shows Deion Patterson. Atlanta police said a suspected shooter in downtown Atlanta is believed to be Patterson and that he was considered armed and dangerous. (Atlanta Police Department via AP)

A 39-year-old woman was killed and four others were wounded, authorities said. The injured, who were taken to a local hospital for treatment, range in age from 25 to 71.

Hospital officials said two of the victims needed surgery and one required radiology intervention. A fourth victim did not require surgery, official said.

The incident was initially being investigated as an active shooter, but police said no shots were fired after the initial shooting.

Police said Patterson stole a car after the shooting that had been left running at a gas station and fled the area.

Police released photos of the suspect taken by security cameras inside the office building hoping it would help lead to tips from the public and his arrest.

This photo released by the Atlanta Police Department of video footage on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, shows a suspected shooter. Police said Wednesday afternoon that they were investigating an “active shooter situation” in a building in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood and that multiple people had been injured. (Atlanta Police Department via AP)

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff called the shooting at an Atlanta hospital a “horrific attack” and thanked first responders.

Ossoff said, “The level of gun violence in America today is unconscionable and unacceptable, and policymakers at all levels have a responsibility to ensure public safety and implement long-overdue reforms.”

There was a significant level of police activity in the city’s Midtown neighborhood. Shelter-in-place orders were lifted by Wednesday afternoon, after the incident.

This story was originally published by Scripps News, an E.W. Scripps Company.