police gathering right now to give us
an update any minute here. Midt.
The shelter in place has been lifted.
Atlanta Public Schools saying tt
they are now reopening for pick.
A lot of churches in the
area still on lockdown.
A lot of businesses in the area still
in lockdown giving people the option to
stay if they want to shelter in place.
But you can see this video,
I mean it quite the presence.
No doubt we're hearing we could be 60 to
90 seconds away from a press conference.
It's significant for a lot of reasons.
Most notably, this will be the first official
public statement from Atlanta police.
We're also hearing Mayor Andre
Dickens is at the press confere.
We're expecting them to come toa
podium or microphone at any mom.
You know, the questions that they've been
getting have been crushing to say the least.
A need for information just because of the
impact of something like this and what's
happened and the ongoing search and the.
Concerns that come because of tt
so notable that the mayor and ad
the chief are taking this momeno
come forward and update the presence.
Here's mayor,
good
afternoon. We are here, as you w
at the scene of a deadly situat.
I'm thankful for Atlanta Police Department
and other law enforcement agencies for
their engagement on this situat.
I've spoken to the governor.
To our congressional delegation
of senators and Congress,
people as well as my office has been in
touch with the White House and as soon
as possible I'll be in touch with the
families of the victims that are here.
As you know, one is deceased and four
are fighting for their lives at Grady
Hospital and we're prayerful that they
pull through and as soon as possible I
will reach out to them and to their families.
All are women and.
I am also making sure that you w
that we are dealing with someone
that is armed and dangerous.
This is a deadly situation.
This individual has just indeed
conducted an act that we want to make
sure that you know that if you see him,
do not approach,
but you are to call 911.
We are also.
Making sure that you know that
law enforcement agencies across
this region are working togethe.
Law enforcement agencies of Fulton County,
of the City of Atlanta, of Cobb County,
of our college campuses,
our Atlanta Public Schools, PDA,
number of agencies are working
in a concerted effort,
a concerted effort to work and o
bring this suspect in and to make sure
that we are all safe in the pro.
And so I ask that again.
If you see the individual that
you have seen this face,
you've seen this photo and his clothing,
please do not approach,
but do call 911.
I'm so now I am very confident t
the men and women of the Atlanta
Police Department and the other local
agencies are well trained to mae
sure that we bring this individual to
justice for situations just like this.
So now I'll turn it over to
Chief Sherbaum to give you.
All the specific details about s
is this incident and to let you
know our pathway forward Chief.
Thank you Mayor, appreciate it.
First of all, the Atlanta Police
Department wants to extend its
condolences for all members.
Atlanta Police Department those
that lost their lives today
and we are working digitally,
digitally to bring this
individual into custody.
We are looking for Deon Patters,
age 24 years of age which we have given you
his photo and this is a very active search.
We are following up on credible
leads that are currently active
in Cobb County as well as some.
That are right here in the city.
We have been joined by
multiple jurisdictions.
We have the Sheriff of Fulton
County that is here right now
that has been working alongside
our department Georgia's Tech P,
Georgia State University PD,
Marta PD, the Georgia State Pat,
the GB I, the FBI,
the Secret Service,
as well as full as the Atlanta Public
Schools Police are all actively
involved surging as we speak fo.
Patterson and here's what we kn.
We'll be able to give you some
information and others will be
delivered as this investigation
continues at 12 O 8:00 this afternoon.
We were called just down the
street to 1110 W Peachtree.
This is a medical facility.
The Northside Hospital is at that location.
This shooting did occur inside e
waiting room of that medical facility
where 5 individuals were shot.
Unfortunately a a 39 year old fe
has lost her life and of those t
are injured is a 71 year old fe,
a 56 year old female, a 39 year old female,
and then a 25 year old female.
We do know that.
Patterson Mr.
Patterson,
our suspect left the building.
We believe he carjacked a vehica
short distance away and was ablo
flee the scene as the law enforcement
agencies were just descending on this
area and we believe he has left the area.
He may not still be in that veh,
so I don't ever want to be focused on
the vehicle which has has been recovered.
So the photograph that has been distributed.
For your viewers,
your listeners,
to be very mindful of that photograph.
If you see this individual who may or
may not still be in the same ho,
please call 911 right away or ue
Crime Stoppers to be able to pre
an anonymous tip to where he ma.
As the Mayor said,
we have a multijurisdictional
effort underway to bring this
individual to justice and ensure
that we remove him from the str.
Everyone considered him still
armed and presenting a danger to
whatever community he may find
himself in at this time.
She kind of the start I mean what what what
you know we're just hours into s
investigation so investigators are behind
us in the buildings talking to witnesses
processing the scene as we spea.
The clarity that I think that we would
want to know as a city and as a society,
we just don't have at this particular moment.
But we'll provide it as soon as we we
have it victims patients where y
employees of Northside Hospitalt
that is still being worked thro.
We don't we weren't in a position this
time to say whether they're pats
or whether their employees or b.
We believe the vehicle has been recovered.
That is correct. Chief, can you confirm
that the shooter's mother
is one of the victims
right now? The shooter's mothers
not injured in this. In this incident,
this was targeted. You know, you said
all 5 victims were women. Is it? We just
don't know. It is still too soon to know why
these individuals were chosen.
Can you confirm that the can you confirm
that the suspect mother is talking to you?
The family is being cooperative
with us and as other
witnesses as well to see
nothing that we can rebuild to .
There has been minimal contact
with the Atlanta Police Departmt
from this individual. I can,
I can report that.
Where was your vehicle file? I can't get that out right now. Cn
you tell us about all about peoe
calling in and giving tips and
what's that been like so far?
Push the image out early.
What is that the mic so far witu
know, we can yes, it.
Thank. Thank you, mayor.
The mayor has been watching this
manhunt unfold at our command p.
And he is very aware that camers
across the city have been instrumental
in us tracking this individual.
He's very aware that as we get
information that's called in by citizens,
we're able to use the camera nek
to quickly go to that location
even before officers arrive.
So it's helpful and we ask
citizens to continue to do that.
It's called in.
Are you guys hoping that people will be
a little more active in terms of calling
911 and we know will be helpful?
I can tell you the civic minded
citizens of the city are already
responding and even without
that request for a reward,
they're already having calls
that's coming where the.
We don't have that specific yet.
It was, it was on an upper leve,
I believe the 11th floor
of the building. What did
the White House say about this?
You mentioned that the
vehicle been recovered.
Is that the only vehicle that I
suspect to be involved in this
incident or are there others?
We're hearing from hospital wors
that there was another car that
may have been involved prior to
the one that was recovered in
any vehicle that were confident in connecting
to this crime we've already released.
As that changes, we may provide
other vehicle and we'll do thats
quickly as we can with the vehie
car jacked in the garage, it was not.
Last question.
So right now the gun is
not in the possession of
law enforcement and we're activy
looking for the gun as we are te
the White House just offered
up their support and wanted to
know if anything they could do to help.
In this situation, and the White House is
constantly in contact with my office to,
you know, offer us support and
see if they if we need anything.
The challenge of the
initial response is midtown.
High population density here.
Buildings have to be searched.
What was it like
initially? The shop? Yeah, I I
think the citizens of Atlanta
saw their Police Department and
our partner agencies in action.
We went into that building and
cleared every single floor.
Even when information
came about that the subject could have left,
we were still searching for vic.
We were assisting citizens out of the
building that had taken shelterd
I do want to thank everyone in Midtown
that honored the shelter in place request
for their patience to allow us to do our job.
This is an urban environment,
so it does present challenges,
but it's challenges that you saw a collective
robust response from law enforcement.
Camera network that's in this location was
very helpful and did a system investigation.
Chief were there hundreds of pee
in the building how many people won't
be able to give that informatioe
shooting captured on surveillane
video inside and won't really
I'll give that at this time.
Can you thank you everybody to e
Atlanta be the latest city in America
touched by this kind of gun violence.
I will, I will say this we have the our
public affairs unit has been pug
out quick information to you al.
We will continue to do that folw
our social media platforms and n
contact with our website as soos
we have an updated information t
vehicles a new clothing descrip.
You all will have it and the
citizens of the city will have .
Thank you all. Thank you. Mayor,
Atlanta Police Chief Darren Shem
sharing a lot of new informatio.
Let's just go through
some of the main points.
Deon Patterson here.
Of course, the man they're looking for,
they say it happened in Northsie
Hospital on the 11th floor.
They confirmed that investigatos
are talking with his family,
saying the family is cooperatin.
We're hearing he was with
his mom when this happened.
We now know much more about the victims,
which I think is significant
and we need to talk more about.
We can confirm now through Atlaa
Police Chief Darren Sheerbaum
that a 39 year old woman died
and all the victims are women.
39 year old woman died,
four women injured,
three of them in critical.
Their ages are
715639 and 25 years old,
All women who were in the waiting room,
the police chief.
Said that they couldn't say wher
they were employees or patients,
but five women in the waiting rm
at Northside Hospital when a 24r
old man walked in with his moth.
He had a weapon. Police say he then shot.
One woman was killed. She was 39 years old.
Four others were injured.
Again, their ages
715639 and 25 years old.
You heard Atlanta Mayor Andre
Dickens say that after phone cas
with the governor, senators.
Professional delegation,
even the White House that what s
going to do next is be in touch
with all of the victims families
who've been impacted by what's
happened here in Atlanta today.
And police
did confirm that the suspects
mother was not one of the victis
and is speaking with police.
Again, all of those victims,
women, the deceased, 39 years o.
And it was poignant to me to just how many,
you know, were involved in this.
They said it was a Fulton sheri,
Marta police, Georgia State Police, GB,
IFBI, Atlanta Public Schools po,
Georgia Tech police,
Georgia State, I mean, Cobb Cou.
All of them right now working t,
you know, help the shelter in pe
be lifted and to find this susp.
And Senator Raphael Warnock, actually just.
Spoke on the Senate floor aboute
shooting that just happened her.
We've cut that clip.
Here is what he had to say.
My own two children
were on lockdown this afternoon.
I have two small children and
their schools were on lockdown
responding to this tragedy.
They are there. I'm here
hoping and praying that they are safe.
But the truth is, none of us is safe.
As a pastor, I'm I'm praying for those
who are affected by this traged.
But I hasten to say that thoughs
and prayers are not enough.
And in fact. In fact, it is a
contradiction to say that you ae
thinking and praying and then do nothing.
It it, it is to make a mockery of prayer.
It is to trivialize faith.
We pray not only with our lips,
We pray with our legs.
We pray by taking action.
And still there are those who
want to convince us that this,
that this is the cost of freedo.
To them, we have to say no.
That was Senator Raphael Warnock just
speaking from this Senate floor not long ago,
saying that he got those same
messages so many parents did,
saying that his children's
school were on lockdown,
saying thoughts and prayers are not enough.
This coming from a pastor, You ,
he's saying the thoughts and prayers,
in fact is a contradiction to
say you're thinking and praying
and not make action again.
Saying those words from the Senate floor, the
perspective from a senator,
from a pastor, and most importa,
perhaps from a father whose
two kids were on lockdown.
As this is happening in his home city.