04 May 2023 , 15:41
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The alleged Atlanta hospital shooter Deion Patterson is due to appear in court today charged with murder.
The 24-year-old, who is accused of leaving one woman dead and four others wounded, has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault, Fulton County Jail records show.
Mr Patterson allegedly opened fire in the waiting room of an Atlanta medical practice on Wednesday afternoon before fleeing the scene.
Workers and others in a bustling commercial district took shelter for hours during the manhunt.
The suspect is accused of opening fire at the hospital (Atlanta Police Department/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
CCTV shows the alleged gunman entering the hospital (Atlanta Police Department/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)Authorities swarmed the city's midtown neighbourhood shortly after noon in search of the shooter.
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Mr Patterson was captured in Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta.
Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. declined to discuss any details of the investigation or a possible motive, saying, "Why he did what he did, all of that is still under investigation."
Mr Patterson had an appointment at a Northside Medical building and opened fire shortly after arriving in an attack that lasted about two minutes, law enforcement officials said at a news conference Wednesday night.
The suspect then went to a Shell gas station and took a pickup truck that had been left running and unattended, authorities said.
A 39-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said.
Amy St. Pierre, 39, was waiting for a medical appointment when she was killed (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)The Fulton County medical examiner's office identified her as Amy St. Pierre. St. Pierre worked with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency confirmed.
The CDC "is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting," spokesperson Benjamin Haynes said in a statement.
He added: "Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss."
Medical patients were led away from the scene (Ben Gray/AP/REX/Shutterstock)Mr Patterson used a semi-automatic handgun to shoot St. Pierre, according to arrest warrants released Thursday.
He shot another woman in the face, and fired multiple shots into the abdomen area of another woman, the documents state.
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Police described the alleged shooter as "dangerous" (AP)Both of those women, along with two others, survived the attack.
The four wounded women - aged 25, 39, 56 and 71 - remained in critical but stable condition Wednesday night, according to Hampton, the deputy chief.
Their names were not immediately released.