Deion Patterson, the 24-year-old former Coast Guardsman suspected of opening fire at an Atlanta hospital waiting room, has been apprehended. According to CNN, a county police officer said Patterson was found on Wednesday evening in a Cobb County condominium complex near Truist Park, the Atlanta Braves’ stadium. Truist Park is located about 11 miles from where the shooting happened.
At least one person died and four others were hospitalized when the shooting happened in a waiting room at Northside Hospital Medical on May 3 shortly after noon. The Cobb County Police Department responded to the shooting, but the gunman allegedly carjacked a vehicle and fled the scene as officers arrived.
Police said the suspect opened fire after getting angry during a visit to the hospital. The gunman’s mother was present during the visit, though she was unharmed.
However, all five people who were allegedly shot by the suspect are women, according to CNN. One was pronounced dead at the scene. Three others were rushed to the hospital and are in critical condition with a fourth person in stable condition.
According to the Coast Guard, Patterson joined the agency in July 2018 before being discharged from active duty at the start of this year.
Cobb County Police Department Sgt. Wayne Delk said the alleged gunman was seen in Cobb County, located northwest of downtown Atlanta, around 12:30 p.m. Patterson was spotted on surveillance footage in the area of Windy Ridge Parkway and Heritage Court near Truist Park.
Following the tragic shooting, Georgia Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock is urging Congress to take action when it comes to gun control laws. “If we refuse to act while our children are dying and in a moment when no one is safe, then shame on us. Shame on us if we allow this to happen and we do absolutely nothing,” Warnock said during a speech on the Senate floor. “My own two children were on lockdown this afternoon … They are there, I’m here, hoping and praying that they are safe – but the truth is none of us is safe.”
He concluded with, “Those who want to convince us that common-sense gun reform is somehow a call to take everybody’s guns, this is not the cost of freedom … it is the cost of greed.”
