State leaders react to Atlanta shooting that left one dead, four injured
Shooter captured overnight in Cobb County
The suspect in a Midtown Atlanta shooting that killed one and injured four others was arrested Wednesday night after an hours-long manhunt.
24-year-old Deion Patterson was captured in Cobb County, roughly 6 hours after allegedly opening fire on the 11th floor inside Northside Hospital’s Midtown facility, on West Peachtree Street.
Several state and federal police agencies spent all Wednesday afternoon searching for Patterson. He was eventually captured in a condominium neighborhood in Cobb County after stealing a truck at a Shell gas station about a block away from the medical facility.
The afternoon-long manhunt crippled the metro Atlanta area. Roads were shut down during the evening commute, schools were sent into lockdown, youth soccer and baseball practices were canceled and high school senior graduation activities were put on hold during the search.
Investigators have identified 39-year-old Amy St. Pierre as the deceased victim of the shooting. The other four who were injured are ages 25, 39, 56 and 71 — all of them are women. Three of them remain in critical condition as of Thursday morning after undergoing surgery.
A call was received for an active shooter situation at around 12:30 PM, which triggered a massive police presence in Midtown Atlanta. WSB-TV reporter Mark Winnie says it was a police presence unlike anything he had ever seen in his career. “I have been covering news in this town for more than 40 years. I don’t recall seeing a law enforcement response at one time any heavier than this, ever,” Winnie said on the air during WSB’s live breaking news coverage.
Georgia’s top politicians weighed in on the shooting. U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) issued a statement thanking law enforcement officials and offered condolences to those who were affected by the shooting.
“The level of gun violence is unconscionable and unacceptable, and policymakers at all levels have a responsibility to ensure public safety and implement long-overdue reforms,” Ossoff said.
U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) took to the floor of the Senate to weigh in on the shooting. He thanked first responders and healthcare workers for their response to the shooting. He then called for stricter gun laws and said that his own two children were on lockdown at their schools during the manhunt.
“They’re there, I’m here, hoping and praying they’re safe. But the truth is none of us are safe … Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough.” Said Warnock. He went on to say that mass shootings “aren’t a cost of freedom, they’re a cost of obstinance.”
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens and Gov. Brian Kemp both remained in close contact with authorities during the manhunt. Kemp said that Georgians are “heartbroken” by the shooting and thanked law enforcement for “forcefully” responding without hesitation.
“These heroes demonstrated yet again their professionalism, courage and unwavering dedication to protecting their fellow Georgians,” the governor said. He did not endorse any calls for a change in gun laws.
Georgia State Sen. Josh McLaurin (D-Atlanta) said that he was eating lunch at a cafe next door to the medical center when the area went into lockdown. He said that the suspected shooter was battling mental health issues and called for a bipartisan change in mental health laws to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands. “We don’t have to live like this,” McLaurin said on social media.
State Rep. Teri Anulewicz (D-Smyrna) represents the Cobb County neighborhood where the suspect left his stolen truck. She said that her colleagues in the Republican majority are working to ensure that there is total freedom for anyone who wants a gun “any time, any reason, no permit required.”
“Georgia’s GOP leaders have made it clear that they place the ability for anyone to own any gun, for any reason, without the most basic, common-sense regulations like red flag laws or safe storage laws, over the liberty that we should all have to live our lives free of increasingly pervasive gun violence,” Anulewicz said.
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We desperately need stricter gun laws. Everyone and anyone should not be able to purchase a gun.