Horrific shooting at Atlanta hospital leaves 1 dead, at least 4 wounded as suspect remains at large

An active shooter at an Atlanta hospital has left one dead and at least four wounded, reports say.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Atlanta police say they responded to "an active shooter" situation on W Peachtree Street NW in Midtown. Northside Hospital later confirmed that the shooting took place at one of its five facilities.

Police believe that Deion Patterson, 24, opened fire on the 11th floor of Northside Hospital Midtown Medical and then fled. He may have then stolen a car, as a carjacking was reported in the area shortly after the shooting. That vehicle has not yet been recovered. The suspect remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous and therefore "should not be approached," police warned. A $10,000 reward is available to anyone with information which leads to an arrest and indictment.

Patients and medical personnel who were inside the building at the time of the shooting reported a harrowing experience. "I was worried what was happening," recalled Dr. Ahmed Ali, a radiation oncologist who was returning from his lunch break when the incident occurred. "Building security … they told me gunshots were coming from the 11th floor. They said there was a pool of blood in the elevator shafts when the doors opened."

Dr. Timothy Simons, who was performing surgery on the 12th floor at the time, claimed that when police came to investigate the floor, he had to put his hands up to demonstrate that he was not the perpetrator. Simons said he was able to complete the procedure before sheltering in place.

Four women were wounded in the shooting and immediately transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment. Three are said to be in critical condition, and one is in stable condition. The women range in age from 25 to 71. Sadly, a fifth victim, a 39-year-old female, was pronounced dead at the scene.

While police attempted to contain the suspect and protect innocent bystanders, they immediately imposed a shelter-in-place order in Midtown after receiving word of the shooting. That order was then lifted approximately three hours later after no more shots were fired in connection to the incident. Visitors are now being permitted to enter Grady Memorial.

Northside Hospital said it is cooperating with the investigation. "This tragedy is affecting all of us, and we ask for patience and prayers at this time," the organization said on Twitter.

This remains a developing story.

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