Shooter at Northside Hospital in Midtown Atlanta, Kills One and Injures 4 when He Started Shooting, Paralyzing the Midtown Area for Hours.

RISKAlert #1721???????????????May 4,??2023?????????????????????Atlanta, Georgia

A man accused of opening fire in Northside Hospital, a midtown Atlanta medical facility waiting room Wednesday, killing a woman and wounding four others, was arrested in a neighboring county after an hours long manhunt, police said.?Atlanta police announced the arrest of Deion Patterson, 24, in Cobb County northwest of the city at around 8 p.m., almost eight hours after the deadly shooting shortly after noon.

But why Patterson allegedly opened fire in an 11th-floor waiting room of a Northside Hospital medical facility remained unclear. "We know that he had an appointment at the facility," Deputy Atlanta Police Chief Charles Hampton said at a news conference. "Why he did what he did, all that is still under investigation." Patterson was at the hospital for treatment, accompanied by his mother, trying to get a prescription for Ativan, a controlled substance.

Patterson escaped from Atlanta's Midtown as police were descending on the scene, authorities said. He stole a pickup truck that was left running at a nearby gas station, Hampton said. The vehicle and the suspect were seen on Transportation Department cameras in Cobb County at around 12:30 p.m., police there said. The video and a 911 call about a possible sighting led to Patterson's arrest, Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said.

All five victims were women, and all had been shot. Three remained in critical condition Wednesday evening, hospital officials said. The fourth was stable. The woman who was killed was identified as Amy St. Pierre, 39, an employee with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health agency said.

The four who were wounded were ages 71, 56, 39 and 25, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said earlier. It was not immediately clear whether they were patients or medical center employees. "It's still too soon to know why these individuals were chosen," Schierbaum said at a news conference earlier Wednesday.

The shooter used a handgun, which has been recovered, Hampton said.

THANKS FOR READING????For more information,??write: [email protected]. ???

We provide the best Active Shooter & Workplace Violence Risk Assessments,?as well as Advanced Training & Drills, and De-Escalation Training.?We work with 100s of Hospitals and Healthcare Providers,?as Certified CMS ?All-Hazards Risk Assessments and Workplace Violence Trainings, & Drills. We also work with Schools, Industrial Settings, Office Facilities, High Value Retail, Public Venues and More! www.riskandsecurityllc.com