Atlanta shooting suspect charged with murder, aggravated assault
The Atlanta shooting suspect has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault, Fulton County Jail records show. One woman was killed and four others were wounded in Wednesday's shooting at a medical building in Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood.
Deion Patterson waived his first court appearance Thursday. Police say he opened fire in the waiting room of a medical practice Wednesday. Workers and others in the bustling commercial district took shelter for hours during the manhunt.
Authorities swarmed the area shortly after noon in search of the shooter. The 24-year-old suspect was captured in Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta.
Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. declined to discuss any details of the investigation or a possible motive, saying, "Why he did what he did, all of that is still under investigation."
The suspect had an appointment at a Northside Medical building and opened fire shortly after arriving in an attack that lasted about two minutes, law enforcement officials said at a news conference Wednesday night. The suspect then went to a Shell gas station and took a pickup truck that had been left running and unattended, authorities said.
A 39-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said.
The Fulton County medical examiner's office identified her as Amy St. Pierre. St. Pierre worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency confirmed.
The CDC "is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting," spokesperson Benjamin Haynes said in a statement. "Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss."
In an interview with CBS Atlanta affiliate WANF, the suspect's mother offered condolences to the victims and said her son suffered from mental illness.
"He doesn't know," said Minyone Patterson. "He doesn't know right now. Please. This mental illness is real, and when we say it's real, from the medical standpoint, it is real. And when someone is saying they need help, or you see that they are acting out of sorts, they need help. Help them, just don't disregard them. They need help, and as I'm trying to advocate for my son, he was turned away."
The four wounded women — aged 25, 39, 56 and 71 — remained hospitalized Thursday with two in critical condition and two in stable condition, Dr. Robert Jansen, chief medical officer of Grady Health System, told reporters.
Jansen didn't identify any of the patients. In arrest warrants, they were identified as Jazzmin Daniel, who was shot in the abdomen; Lisa Glynn, who was shot in the abdomen; Alesha Hollinger, who was shot in the face; and Georgette Whitlow, who was shot in the arm.