Atlanta shooting suspect facing murder charge
The suspect in Wednesday's shooting at a medical building in Atlanta that killed one and injured four others has been charged with a count of murder, according to jail records from Fulton County.
Records show 24-year-old Deion Patterson, whom police believe opened fire in the waiting room of a medical practice in the city’s Midtown area, has also been charged with four counts of aggravated assault. He is set to make his first court appearance on Thursday.
Officials searched for Patterson for a few hours after the shooting before arresting him in Cobb County, northwest of Atlanta, later Wednesday.
Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said officials are still investigating the possible motive for the shooting.
Officials said at a news conference that Patterson had an appointment at the medical practice and began shooting shortly after he arrived. The shooting lasted about two minutes, and then Patterson went to a Shell gas station where he took a pickup truck that had been left running.
Hampton said police were able to track down the truck through the license plate and knew when he crossed into Cobb County.
Authorities have identified the one person killed as 39-year-old Amy St. Pierre, who worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The four injured were in critical but stable condition on Wednesday. Their ages are 25, 39, 56 and 71.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (D) said the shooting is one of almost 200 mass shootings that have happened in the country this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.