ATLANTA (AP) — Police said a man opened fire inside the waiting room of an Atlanta medical facility, killing one woman and injuring four others Wednesday as authorities swarmed the city’s bustling midtown neighborhood in search of the 24-year-old suspect.
Shortly after noon, police were called to the Northside Medical building on West Peachtree Street in a commercial area with many office towers and high-rise apartments.
Atlanta police said the suspected shooter is believed to be Deion Patterson and that he was considered armed and dangerous. Authorities put out a photo of Patterson showing his face and asked anyone with information about his whereabouts to call 911 and not approach him.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters that a 39-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The four injured victims were also women, aged 25, 39, 56 and 71.
The four injured women “are fighting for their lives at Grady Hospital,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said during a news conference.
Schierbaum added that Patterson’s family is “being cooperative” with investigators.
In a statement, the U.S. Coast Guard said Patterson had joined the service in 2018 and was discharged from active duty in January. He was an electrician’s mate second class at the time.
Four hours after the shooting, police said they believed Patterson had left the area. They lifted a shelter-in-place advisory, but asked people to stay away from the area due to the active investigation.
“This is a very active search,” Schierbaum said. “We’re following up on credible leads that are currently active in Cobb County, as well as some here in the city.”
Atlanta police said they are aware of a carjacking that happened not long after the shooting a few blocks away. They said the vehicle has been recovered in suburban Cobb County, and they were working to determine whether the vehicle was connected to the shooting.
Crime Stoppers was offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the suspect.
The shooting comes as cities around the U.S. have been wracked by gun violence and mass shootings in 2023.
In surveillance photos released by police, the suspect was wearing dark pants and a light colored hoodie with the hood pulled up. He had a mask on his face and appeared to be wearing a bag across his front.
Dozens of police and fire vehicles were gathered along West Peachtree Street, as officers with assault-style rifles, helmets and vests continued to arrive more than an hour after the shooting.
Many officers clustered outside the front entrance of the Northside Medical building. Multiple helicopters hovered overhead while police tried to keep traffic moving on nearby streets. Construction workers watched from the nearest corner in the midtown neighborhood where many new high-rises are being built.
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This story has been corrected to show that one of the surviving victims was 39, not 29.
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