A 24-year-old man, Deion Patterson, has been identified by Atlanta Police as the suspected shooter in the latest gun violence in the United States.
One person was fatally shot and at least four others injured in the shooting that occurred in a Midtown Atlanta building on Wednesday, Police said.
Atlanta Police said there had been no additional shots fired since the initial shooting unfolded inside a building on West Peachtree Street, between 12th and 13th Streets, a commercial area with many office towers and high-rise apartments.
Police posted four photographs of the suspect on Twitter.
They showed a man in a doorway, his arm raised and pointing what appeared to be a handgun. His target was not visible in the photos.
The suspect had a mask over his face and nose and was wearing a sweatshirt and carrying a brown backpack.
At least three of the injured victims were sent to Grady Memorial Hospital and are in critical condition. All of the victims are adults, according to Dr. Robert Jansen, the hospital’s chief of staff, who briefed the media Wednesday afternoon.
At around 1 p.m. ET officers responded to the area of 1110 W Peachtree St. NW, an address associated with the Northside Hospital Midtown Medical, which includes several medical offices.
The APD is also investigating a possible link between the gunman and a carjacking that occurred near the site of the shooting not long after the incident. Police say they are still looking for this car.
Northside Hospital said it’s cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation.
“We urge people in the area to shelter in place and follow instructions from law enforcement on the scene,” the hospital tweeted. “This tragedy is affecting all of us, and we ask for patience and prayers at this time.”
KJ Johnson told reporters that he was in the Northside medical building for his son’s medical appointment when the shooting took place.
He said he heard pops while in the office waiting room, but mistook them for a motorcycle backfiring. It was the office TV in the waiting room that alerted Johnson and the other patients of the attack.
“At that time, we had no idea there was a shooting. But then the television was on and there was breaking news on the television. And they mentioned that there was an active shooter and they gave the address and the address was the building that we were in,” Johnson said outside the building.
The shooting took place just two floors above him, he recounted.
“We were in the ninth floor. So once everyone heard the shooting happened on the 11th floor, you can imagine that some of the folks in the room got a little nervous, a little tense,” he said.
Johnson said everyone kept calm and the medical staff in the office ushered people into a secure back room while they waited for police to arrive to escort them out.
The medical staff “didn’t make the matter worse by making it seem like there was some imminent threat to our health,” he said.
