Atlanta mass shooting updates: Victims identified

One woman was killed and four others were injured in Wednesday's shooting.

Last Updated: May 4, 2023, 10:38 PM EDT

A gunman killed one and wounded four others in a mass shooting in an Atlanta medical center waiting room on Wednesday, police said.

The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, was apprehended following an hourslong manhunt, police said Wednesday night.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news developed. All times Eastern.
May 04, 2023, 7:01 PM EDT

911 calls from people reporting suspect sightings released

The Cobb County Department of Public Safety released 911 calls Thursday of suspected sightings of the shooting suspect prior to his apprehension in the county Wednesday evening.

"I just saw a man who fits the description walking through the woods of this townhouse area, um, with a hoodie on," one caller said.

Another caller reported seeing a man sitting outside under a tree while in their apartment building. "He's been sitting there, at this point, for maybe about 30 minutes. He has on like, a hoodie, and it's like the hood is, like, up over him, and he has a black book bag with him," the caller said.

In one call, a person reported a possible sighting of the suspect walking in front of their building. "I just got everybody out the office and came upstairs. So I don't know where he is right now," the caller said.

In another call, a person said they noticed "distinctly Air Force 1" shoe prints where they were walking, "which stood out to me because normally in this area that I walk is little muddy. I normally only ever see my shoe prints."

May 04, 2023, 1:39 PM EDT

Northside Hospital to hold 'Day of Reflection' on Friday

"The Northside Hospital family is grieving" in the wake of Wednesday's mass shooting in a waiting room at the Northside Medical Midtown office, Northside Hospital said in a statement on Thursday.

The hospital is encouraging people, wherever they are, to "take a moment or two" on Friday to "pause and reflect" in what the hospital is calling a "Day of Reflection."

Two women embrace near the scene where a man shot five people inside a building in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 3, 2023.
Elijah Nouvelage/AFP via Getty Images

"We deeply love and support the employees and patients who were directly involved, as well as others impacted in different ways," the hospital said. "Let us hope that this kind of tragedy never happens again -- not to us, not to anyone."

Hospital officials added, "We are incredibly grateful for the quick and courageous response of Atlanta-area law enforcement. Northside also thanks our colleagues at Grady Memorial Hospital for the care being provided to the victims. Their actions brought comfort and safety to our patients and staff at Northside Medical Midtown."

-ABC News' Will McDuffie

May 04, 2023, 12:15 PM EDT

Hospital gives updates on injured victims

Three of the four women who were shot and injured remain in the intensive care unit, Dr. Robert Jansen, the chief medical officer at Grady Health, said at a news conference Thursday.

Two of those three women are "critical" and will return to the operating room for additional procedures, he said. The third patient in intensive care is stable and hopefully can move out of the ICU later in the day, he said.

The fourth woman who was shot is in stable condition, he said.

"As of right now everybody is as stable as they can be given the nature of their injuries," Jansen said.

Law enforcement officers arrive near the scene of an active shooter, May 3, 2023 in Atlanta.
Alex Slitz/AP

Jansen said he's spoken with two of the injured victims.

"They have been traumatized," he said.

"They are very grateful for the support and care they've received," he said, however, "the fact that they were in a health care facility just makes it worse."

Jansen noted that "the impact" of this shooting "on the staff is something you can't imagine."

"Unfortunately, in this day and age, seeing shooting victims is almost a daily occurrence here," he said.

"But when they come in like this, particularly because it happened in a health care setting, it resonates more," he said, adding that the hospital staff is being offered support.

May 04, 2023, 11:44 AM EDT

Suspect charged with murder, aggravated assault

The suspected gunman, 24-year-old Deion Patterson, has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault.

He waived his Thursday court appearance, according to Atlanta ABC affiliate WSB.

Deion Patterson
Atlanta Police Department