A man opened fire at an Atlanta hospital Wednesday, killing one person and wounding four others, before fleeing, according to police in the major southern US city.
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The suspect has been identified by Atlanta police as Deion Patterson, a former Coast Guard officer. The shooting took place around noon in the waiting room of a hospital in the city.
Police earlier released footage of the alleged shooting and asked “anyone with information” to contact them.
“We think the suspect is armed and dangerous,” he said, warning against any attempt to “approach him.”
The police said during a press conference held yesterday evening that the victims were between the ages of 25 and 71. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said all the victims were women.
Police Chief Darrin Schierbaum said several federal agencies have joined the pursuit of the suspect.
Deion Patterson, along with his mother, were not injured, the police chief said, noting that it was too early to know if one or more victims were specifically targeted. His family is cooperating with the investigation.
America is paying a very high price for the proliferation of guns in its territory and easy access to them by Americans.
The country has more personal firearms than residents: one in three adults owns at least one gun and nearly one in two adults lives in a household with a gun.
The result of this proliferation is a much higher rate of gun deaths in the United States than in other developed countries.
On QUB Radio, Dr. Listen to Julian Cavanagh’s interview:
