Atlanta Midtown mass shooting: 1 dead, 4 injured as manhunt continues for suspect

At least one woman was killed and at least four others were injured in a shooting Wednesday at a medical building in Atlanta, authorities said. No suspect was in custody, but police identified him on Twitter as Deion Patterson, 24, and were searching for him as of Wednesday afternoon.

The suspect was described in an alert sent to cellphones as a Black male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt, black pants and brown shoes. Anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts was urged to call 911.

The five women were shot around midday Wednesday in a waiting room on an upper floor of Northside Hospital, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters during a press conference. He said it was too soon to know whether the victims were targeted, and it wasn’t immediately clear if the victims were patients or hospital employees.

Patterson apparently became agitated as he was waiting for an appointment, a law enforcement source told CBS News’ Pat Milton. He then pulled out a handgun and began shooting, striking the five women.

In a tweet, Northside Hospital said it is “cooperating with law enforcement” following a shooting at its Midtown location.

A 39-year-old woman died at the scene of the shooting and four other women were taken to a hospital for treatment, Schierbaum told reporters. Three patients were in critical condition and one was in stable condition, according to Grady Memorial Hospital.

The injured women ranged in age between 25 and 71 years old, Schierbaum said.

The suspect is believed to have carjacked a vehicle to flee the scene as authorities responded to the shooting, Schierbaum said. Authorities believe they’ve recovered the vehicle, the police chief said.

“Everyone consider him still armed and presenting a danger to whatever community he may find himself in at this time,” Schierbaum said. Investigators haven’t recovered a gun, he said.

The suspect’s family has been cooperating with authorities, Schierbaum said.

The chief described the suspect’s prior contact with the Atlanta Police Department as “minimal.” A U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson said the suspect entered the Coast Guard in July 2018 and was discharged in January 2023, CBS News’ Nicole Sganga reports.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m., police said they were responding to an “active shooter situation” in the area and urged people to shelter in place. Just after 3 p.m., police said the shelter-in-place order was lifted.

Authorities searched every floor of the medical building for possible additional victims, Schierbaum said.

Police released several images of the suspect on social media, saying the suspect was “believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached.”

A woman who lives in Midtown told CBS affiliate WANF-TV that it was a “very sad day.”

“I’m not going to live in fear because I love this community,” the woman said. “I’m just sad that this happened in Atlanta and it’s happening all over the world.”