Topline
Atlanta police lifted a shelter-in-place order just after 4 p.m. Wednesday for a section of Midtown following a shooting earlier in the day that left one person dead and several people injured, but police continue to search for the shooter who paralyzed the typically bustling urban area for much of the afternoon.
This photo released by the Atlanta Police Department of video footage on Wednesday, shows a … [+]
Key Facts
Police tweeted just after 12:30 p.m. that an “active shooter” was “in the area of 1110 W Peachtree St NW”—the site of Northside Hospital Midtown’s medical office buildings—urging nearby workers to remain in their buildings.
Police said one person was pronounced dead on the scene and three others were injured—the Atlanta Journal-Constitution later reported a fourth person was wounded in the shooting.
Authorities released images of the suspect early Wednesday afternoon, which appeared to show a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and a medical mask pointing a handgun into an office space.
Atlanta police later identified the suspect as 24-year-old Deion Patterson, calling him “Armed and Dangerous.”
No additional shots were fired following the initial shooting, according to police.
Atlanta Public Schools said in a statement just before 1:30 p.m. that schools in the area were placed under an “exterior lockdown,” but the school system later said police “assured us that we are in the clear to” dismiss students.
What We Don’t Know
The conditions of the injured victims have not been released. Police also have not suggested a possible motive.
Key Background
The shooting comes on the heels of several high-profile mass shootings across the country, which have renewed public policy debates about gun control and public safety in the United States. Texas authorities arrested a man Tuesday following a days-long manhunt after he allegedly went on a rampage against his neighbors in the Houston area Friday, killing five—including a 9-year-old. The Texas massacre occurred just weeks after five victims were shot dead at a bank in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, and about a month after six victims—three of them 9-year-old students—were killed at a Christian elementary school in Nashville. President Joe Biden has repeatedly called for stricter gun control on the national level, but leaders of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives have said they have no intention of passing any gun reform bills.
Crucial Quote
“The time is past due for common sense gun reform,” Atlanta City Councilman Amir Farokhi said in a statement following Wednesday’s shooting.
Further Reading
Police Finally Arrest Texas Man Accused Of Killing 5 Neighbors—Ending Days-Long Manhunt (Forbes)
Louisville Shooting: 5 Killed By Kentucky Bank Employee, Police Say (Forbes)
Nashville School Shooter Identified —After Three Children And Three Adults Killed (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2023/05/03/atlanta-shooting-midtown-lockdown-lifted-after-1-death-but-police-still-seek-suspect/