Atlanta shooting suspect’s attorney, mother claim he suffered from mental health issues
The mother of the man suspected of killing one woman and injuring four other people in an Atlanta medical office claims her son suffered from mental health issues, according to multiple reports.
Minyone Patterson, the mother of 24-year-old Deion Patterson, reportedly told the local outlet WSB-TV in an interview that her son was upset that doctors wouldn’t give him the anti-anxiety drug Ativan.
She told the Associated Press that the Veterans Affairs health system wouldn’t give her son — who was a former Coast Guardsman — the drug because it would be “too addicting.” She added that he had “some mental instability going on.”
Police say the suspect opened fire in the waiting room of a medical practice in the city’s Midtown area, where his mother had accompanied him. He fled the scene and officers searched for him for a few hours before he was found and arrested later that day.
Patterson has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault — and waived his first court appearance on Thursday.
“He is a veteran and suffers from apparent mental health issues,” said Shawn Hoover, an attorney appointed to represent the suspect. “My team is investigating the details and circumstances of the charges to provide him with zealous, effective, and timely representation.”
Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. said on Wednesday that “why he did what he did, all of that is still under investigation.”
Authorities have identified the one person killed as 39-year-old Amy St. Pierre, who worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The four injured victims have not been identified.
The Associated Press contributed
Source: The Hill
