04 May 2023 , 12:11
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The woman tragically killed after a man taking his mum to the hospital opened fire has been named and pictured for the first time.
Amy St. Pierre, 39, was fatally shot and four others injured when a 24-year-old man allegedly started shooting inside the waiting room of a medical practice in Atlanta, Georgia.
Both the victim and the alleged shooter were at the Northside Hospital Midtown medical building for an appointment.
The suspected shooter, Deion Patterson, a former Coast Guardsman, fled the scene, stealing a pickup truck from a nearby petrol station, police said, but he was later captured in Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta.
Mugshot shows suspected shooter Deion Patterson (Atlanta Police Department/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)
CCTV shows the suspected shooter (Atlanta Police Department/ZUMA Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock)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.”
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Amy St. Pierre was an employee.
A spokesperson for the CDC said the organisation "is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting. Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss.”
The four other victims were women aged 25, 39, 56, and 71, who are said to be are "fighting for their lives at Grady Hospital", Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.
Law enforcement officers run near the scene of an active shooter (AP)The hospital declared a “mass casualty event” bracing itself for a slew of victims.
Patterson’s mother, Minyone Patterson, who police said had accompanied her son to the medical office, said that her son had “some mental instability going on” from medication that he began taking on Friday.
“Those families, those families,” she said, starting to sob.
“We are horrified and saddened to hear of the active shooter situation in Atlanta today,” Veterans Affairs Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in an emailed statement.
Police and emergency workers at the scene of the shooting (Ben Gray/AP/REX/Shutterstock)“Due to patient privacy, we cannot discuss the Veteran’s personal information without written consent.”
In a statement, the U.S. Coast Guard said Patterson had joined the service in 2018 and was discharged from active duty in January.
He was an electrician’s mate second class at the time.
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Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens applauded the fact that Patterson was arrested and taken into custody alive so he can be prosecuted.
Two bystanders console eachother outside the Northside Hospital medical facility (Getty Images)“Right now, we’ve had a successful end to a traumatic day,” Mayor Dickens said, while also advocating for tougher gun laws and stressing the importance of police training.
“I hope the city, the region, rests easy that he is in custody, but I also hope that we will stay vigilant to continue to look at a future where individuals who shouldn’t have a gun in possession won’t have one, and also that individuals are brought to justice, and also that we deal with these things that are mental health or easy access to guns.”
Gov. Brian Kemp said in a statement that he was “heartbroken” by the shooting and praying for victims.