Atlanta Hospital Shooting Suspect Held After Long Manhunt

ATLANTA (US): Following an 8 hour-long manhunt, a man suspected to have shot and killed one woman and wounding four others at a hospital in Atlanta of Georgia state in the US on Wednesday was arrested, police said.

Deion Patterson, a 24-year-old man, was arrested by police in nearby Cobb County, at a condominium complex, officials informed in a Wednesday night news conference.

Reportedly, Patterson went inside the Northside Hospital medical facility around midday and began shooting, police said. The suspect was waiting for an appointment when he became agitated, pulled out a handgun and opened fire randomly, according to a law enforcement official.

After coming out of the hospital building, located in Atlanta's Midtown neighborhood, the suspect allegedly stole a parked truck at a nearby gas station and drove north towards Cobb County.

Atlanta police reportedly received an alert after the stolen vehicle's license plate was spotted on license plate-reading cameras near the Atlanta Braves' ballpark.

After getting multiple calls from the public on possible sightings of the suspect, a 911 dispatcher decided that one of the sightings appeared legitimate, Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer said during the briefing on Wednesday night.

The Cobb County Police Chief said an undercover police officer later spotted and confronted the suspect. He then called for backup and the arrest was made, VanHoozer said.

The arrest took place after about eight hours of intense searching for the suspect, who allegedly shot and killed a 39-year-old woman and wounded four other women. The wounded victims were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital where three were said to be in critical condition and the fourth in stable condition on Wednesday evening.

The deceased woman was identified as Amy St. Pierre, an employee of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The injured women were said to range in age between 25 and 71 years old.

Officials on Wednesday evening confirmed that the suspect's family has been cooperating with authorities.

The suspect's mother is reported to have offered condolences to the victims and said her son suffered from mental illness.

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