Male suspect arrested in deadly shooting at an Atlanta hospital

POLICE have arrested a man suspected of shooting five people—one of whom died—at an Atlanta hospital on Wednesday, authorities in the southern US city said.

One person was killed and four were injured when Deion Patterson allegedly opened fire in a hospital waiting room just after midday (1700 GMT). Patterson then allegedly stole a truck that had been left running at a nearby gas station and fled.

A manhunt went into the night before Patterson was apprehended outside the city in neighboring Cobb County.

“Law enforcement have taken the suspect into custody,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at a news conference Wednesday evening.

“He will be charged and stand trial for his crimes.”

Patterson was detained “without incident,” said Cobb County police chief Stuart VanHoozer.

The victims, all women, were aged between 25 and 71, police said at an earlier news conference.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office later identified the woman shot and killed as Amy St. Pierre, 38, CNN reported. St. Pierre worked for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency told the broadcaster.

Three other women were in intensive care and a fourth victim was in stable condition, CNN reported.

Police chief Darin Schierbaum said local authorities received assistance in the search for Patterson from multiple agencies, including the FBI and the Secret Service. AFP

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