Authorities say they have apprehended Deion Patterson, a 24-year-old man accused of shooting multiple people in the greater Atlanta area on Wednesday. Members of the Atlanta Police Department and Cobb County Police Department are expected to host a joint press conference later this evening and provide pertinent detail regarding the arrest.
*UPDATE*: Deion Patterson has been apprehended. Details will be provided during a joint press conference with Atlanta PD.
— Cobb County Police Department (@CobbPoliceDept) May 3, 2023
Multiple reports accuse the 24-year-old man of entering Northside Hospital Midtown Medical in Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday morning. Just before 12 p.m. EST, reports suggest that Patterson opened fire in a waiting room at the hospital and fled the scene in a stolen vehicle. Thus far, the mass shooting has reportedly led to the death of one woman while injuring four others. At this time, it is unclear what led to the shooting, but Patterson’s mother tells the Associated Press that her son has exhibited mental instability since he began taking medication from the Veterans Affairs health system on Friday. Patterson’s mother, Minyone Patterson, also tells the AP that “her son had wanted Ativan to deal with anxiety and depression but that the VA wouldn’t give it to him because they said it would be too addicting.”
“Those families, those families,” she said.
“They’re hurting because they wouldn’t give my son his damn Ativan. Those families lost their loved ones because he had a mental break because they wouldn’t listen to me.”
At the moment, the names of the victims of Wednesday’s mass shooting are not available to the public. However, authorities have shared the ages of the victims and details regarding their treatment. A 39-year-old woman was killed while the other four women were transported Grady Memorial Hospital. After arriving at the hospital, one patient needed to undergo surgery for a gunshot wound to the abdomen while the other needed surgery for a gunshot wound to the arm. A third patient reportedly received an interventional radiology procedure for a gunshot wound to the face. According to Grady Health System Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Jansen, the fourth patient will likely not require surgery.
