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May 3, 2023 - Suspect arrested after deadly Midtown Atlanta shooting, police say

What we covered here

  • The suspect in the deadly shooting at an Atlanta medical facility was arrested Wednesday night inside a gated condominium complex in Cobb County, about 11 miles from the scene.
  • One person was killed and four others were injured, three critically, in the shooting. All the victims were women, the police said.
  • The shooting happened after a man became enraged during a visit to a Midtown medical facility and opened fire, police said. He was accompanied by his mother, who was not injured, police said.
Our live coverage has ended. Follow the latest news here or read through the updates below. 
1:55 a.m. ET, May 4, 2023

Victim in Atlanta shooting identified as CDC employee, medical examiner says

Amy St. Pierre. (Facebook)

The woman shot and killed Wednesday at Northside Medical Midtown has been identified as Amy St. Pierre, 38, according to the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office. 

St. Pierre worked for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency confirmed to CNN on Wednesday.

"CDC is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting. Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss," CDC spokesperson Benjamin Haynes wrote in an email.
Northside Medical Midtown in Atlanta will be closed on Thursday and all patient appointments are canceled for Thursday, the facility tweeted.
The four other women shot are being treated at Grady hospital. Three patients are in ICU and a fourth is in stable condition, according to a statement from the hospital.
10:50 p.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Police have arrested the suspected gunman. Here's the latest

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens applauded local agencies and officials for their collaboration in apprehending the suspected gunman in Wednesday's mass shooting incident.
"We can go home and rest easy that the individual that caused harm in our community is under arrest thanks to this great partnership," he told reporters at a Wednesday night news conference.

The arrest of Deion Patterson comes following a chaotic multi-hour manhunt in Atlanta. Patterson will now be charged and stand trial for his alleged crimes, Dickens said.

Here's how we got here:
The shooting. Officers initially were called to the Northside Hospital Medical in Midtown Atlanta at 12:08 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to the Atlanta Police Department. The suspected shooter, accompanied by his mother, was at the facility for an appointment seeking new treatment after being dissatisfied with the care he was receiving from the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to the suspect's mother, a high-level source with the Atlanta Police Department told CNN. At some point, the man became agitated and used a handgun to open fire.
The manhunt. The gunman left the facility on foot and went to a nearby gas station, where he got into a pickup truck that was left running and unattended, police said. The license plate of the vehicle was detected by a plate reader, according to authorities. Throughout the day, officials were being called to various locations for what police described as apparently legitimate sightings of the suspect. An undercover officer saw and confronted the gunman, then backup was called, police said. The suspect was arrested in Cobb County near the Truist Park baseball stadium at roughly 7:45 p.m. ET without incident, according to police
The victims. One person was killed and four others were injured, three critically, in the shooting. All the victims were women, police said. Three of them who were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital are in critical condition, while another patient is now stable, the hospital said. One of the patients was admitted with a gunshot wound to the abdomen and another with a wound to the arm, according to a hospital representative. The third critical patient was shot in the face, the hospital said.
The suspect. Police have identified the suspect as Deion Patterson, 24. He was a former Coast Guardsman and was discharged from active duty in January of this year. Patterson had minimal contact with the police department before the shooting.
9:44 p.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Shooting suspect captured inside gated condo community. Residents say barking dogs raised suspicions

Deion Patterson, the Midtown Atlanta shooting suspect, was captured inside a gated condominium complex in Cobb County on Wednesday night, about 11 miles north of the shooting scene, local residents told CNN.

Christy Colwell, who lives at Waterford Place, said dogs barking within the complex made her concerned the fugitive might be hiding in the pool area, which includes a gazebo. She informed a police officer who was at the facility responding to the noise call. 

“He just started running – the police officer – and said, ‘Get on the grass! Get on the grass!’” said resident Debra Sansavieri. “Suddenly about 30 police cars came flying down.”

Atlanta police said Patterson traveled to Cobb County in a stolen pickup truck.

10:03 p.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Georgia's top politicians react to shooting in Atlanta

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks with CNN's Abby Phillips on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (CNN)

Georgia's top politicians — two senators and the state's governor — commented Wednesday on the deadly shooting that left one person dead and four injured.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock told CNN's Abby Phillips he was heartened to learn that the Atlanta shooting suspect was arrested
“We are heartened to hear that the suspect has been apprehended by local authorities and so we breathe a sigh of relief for now. But sadly these kinds of mass shootings happen every day in America so far this year,” the Democratic lawmaker said.

Earlier in the day, Warnock, a pastor from Atlanta, gave an impassioned speech on the Senate floor where he disclosed his two children were on lockdown in Atlanta as police scrambled to find the gunman.

“We are a nation living in fear and some seem to think that this is the price that we have to pay for freedom," he said. "I reject that.”

Sen. Jon Ossoff released a statement Wednesday decrying gun violence.

"The level of gun violence in America today is unconscionable and unacceptable, and policy makers at all levels have a responsibility to ensure public safety and implement long-overdue reforms," the Democratic senator said

Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, praised first responders and law enforcement who "responded forcefully and without hesitation."

9:30 p.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Atlanta mayor calls for gun reform following shooting

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks during a news conference on Wednesday. (CNN)

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called for gun reform following Wednesday's mass shooting in the city.

"We know that there is more that needs to be done," he said, adding that there is a "national epidemic" of gun violence.

Dickens, speaking at a news conference to announce the arrest of a suspect in the shooting, called for universal background checks, better red-flag laws to allow judges to remove guns from people who pose risks – and more action to make sure "those who shouldn't have guns don't have them."

The mayor thanked Grady Memorial Hospital and the authorities involved in the investigation and offered prayers to the victims and their families.

"We all need to do our part to stop these horrific acts from happening again and again," Dickens said. "So you will be hearing more from me on this."
9:12 p.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Undercover officer was first to confront the suspect, police chief says

Cobb County PD Chief Chief Stuart VanHoozer speaks during a news conference on Wednesday. (CNN)

Authorities late Wednesday described the chaotic manhunt that led to the apprehension of Deion Patterson, the suspect in the mass shooting at an Atlanta medical facility.

"These are massively complex investigations," Cobb County PD Chief Stuart VanHoozer said Wednesday evening at a news conference.

Patterson was arrested in Cobb County, near the Truist Park baseball stadium.

He commandeered a pickup truck near the scene of the shooting, according to police. And the plate of the truck was detected by a license plate reader in Cobb County, which is northwest of downtown Atlanta, they said.

VanHoozer said officials were being called to various locations throughout Cobb County for what he described as apparently legitimate sightings of Patterson, as he was still at large.

Late in the day, a real-time operator flagged to 911 a call about the suspect that appeared legitimate, VanHoozer said.

An undercover officer went to the scene, saw and confronted Patterson, according to VanHoozer. Backup was called and the suspect was taken into custody without incident, the police chief said.

8:19 p.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Shooting suspect was apprehended in a condo complex near Truist Park, police say

Atlanta mass shooting suspect Deion Patterson was apprehended in Cobb County in a condominium complex near Truist Park at roughly 7:45 p.m. ET, a county police officer told CNN.

Truist Park, which is the home of the Atlanta Braves professional baseball team, is about 11 miles from the scene of the shooting in Midtown Atlanta.

8:03 p.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Midtown Atlanta shooting suspect arrested, police say

The suspect in the Midtown Atlanta shooting has been apprehended, according to Atlanta police. 

Deion Patterson, 24, was identified by police as the gunman in the shooting at a Northside Hospital medical facility in Atlanta.

Five women were shot and one has died from her injuries, police said. 

A press conference is happening soon from the Atlanta Police Headquarters.

7:47 p.m. ET, May 3, 2023

Atlanta police to provide update on Midtown shooting shortly

The Atlanta Police Department will hold a news conference at 8 p.m. ET with updated information on the deadly Midtown shooting.

The news conference will be held at the Atlanta Police Headquarters.

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