ATLANTA – The mother of the man accused of opening fire in the lobby of a medical office on Wednesday, killing one woman and injuring four others, told WSB-TV that he was angry that doctors wouldn’t give him an anti-anxiety drug.
Authorities arrested Deion Duwane Patterson, 24, Wednesday night after a hourslong manhunt. Police said he opened fire just after noon in a lobby at a Northside Hospital facility in Midtown.
He was in the medical office for only two minutes before he opened fire, WSB reported, citing police.
Midtown Atlanta shooting: 1 dead, 4 injured; suspect in custody, charged
Patterson’s mother told the news station that her son was upset that doctors wouldn’t give him Ativan, a tranquilizer that is used to treat anxiety but can be addictive. Minyone Patterson told The Associated Press that her son had “some mental instability going on” from medication that he began to take on Friday. She did not identify the medication.
“Those families, those families,” she said through tears, according to the AP. “They’re hurting because they wouldn’t give my son his damn Ativan. Those families lost their loved ones because he had a mental break because they wouldn’t listen to me.”
In a statement obtained by WSB, U.S. Coast Guard officials said Patterson had been a Coast Guardsman from 2018 until January. He left the branch as an electrician’s mate second class.
It was not immediately clear why he was discharged.
Midtown Atlanta Shooting: Woman killed was CDC employee
The shooting Wednesday claimed the life of Amy St. Pierre, 39, and left four other women between the ages of 25 and 71 injured. Arrest warrants obtained by WSB identified those wounded as Lisa Glynn, Georgette Whitlow, Jazzmin Daniel and Alesha Hollinger.
St. Pierre was employed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a statement, agency officials said the CDC was “deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague.”
“Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss,” CDC spokesperson Benjamin Haynes said.
Three of the injured victims were in critical condition on Wednesday night.
Authorities continue to investigate.
