(Washington) A person opened fire on Wednesday in an Atlanta hospital, killing one and injuring four before fleeing and being arrested after a few hours, according to the police of this large southern city of the States -United.
The suspect was identified by Atlanta police as Deion Patterson, a former Coast Guard officer. The shots took place around noon (12 p.m. Eastern Time) in a waiting room at a hospital in the city.
“Deion Patterson has been apprehended,” Atlanta police said in a short statement on his Facebook page that evening.
The victims are between 25 and 71 years old, police said during a press conference earlier. All of the victims were women, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.
Deion Patterson was accompanied by his mother, who was not injured, the police chief said, noting that it is too early to know if one or more victims were specifically targeted. His family is cooperating with the investigation.
The United States pays a very heavy price for the spread of firearms in its territory and the ease with which Americans have access to them.
The country has more personal weapons than people: one in three adults owns at least one weapon and almost one in two adults lives in a household with a weapon.
The consequence of this proliferation is the very high rate of firearm deaths in the United States, unmatched by that of other developed countries.
