Police captured a man suspected of killing one person and injuring four more in a mass shooting at an Atlanta hospital on Monday.
Earlier in the day, officials announced that 24-year-old Deion Patterson was the prime suspect. A man matching his description was seen being arrested at a Cobb County condo complex on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Patterson, who was recently discharged from the Coast Guard, had originally attended a medical appointment at the building on Wednesday at which he was accompanied by his mother, reported CNN.
In the waiting room of the medical centre, he became agitated and shot five women, killing one of them, Atlanta Police Department Chief Darin Schierbaum has said.
Chief Schierbaum said earlier on Wednesday that the woman who died was 39, while the other four wounded women are aged 25, 39, 56 and 71.
A police photo of Mr Patterson shows a Black man wearing a grey hoodie, black pants, grey and white sneakers, a white medical mask, and what appeared to be a tan tactical bag over his abdomen.
Officers were able to apprehend the man on Wednesday evening.
After an hourslong manhunt, barking dogs were what ultimately helped police find him.
Witnesses told the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionpolice were already on their street at a condo complex in Cobb County when a woman named Christy Colwell told officers about a local pool and washhouse deep in the woods.
“I thought that would be a great place for someone to hide out until dark,” Ms Colwell told the paper. “Ten seconds later, (police) came running back to us, told us to get on the grass, and then all of a sudden there were 30 police cars all heading down there.”
Advanced surveillance technology also played a “huge role” in capturing the gunman, police said on Wednesday.
Officials said a key break in the case came when investigators spotted a license plate number on a vehicle the gunman allegedly stole.
“Those tools are what really got us the clues we needed to make this successful,” Cobb County police chief Stuart VanHoozer said during a press conference on Wednesday.
The police official said officers checked multiple locations including a construction site as they accumulated information about the suspect.
Eventually, Mr VanHoozer said, an undercover officer confronted the suspect, and officers were able to swoop in and arrest him without incident.
Atlanta police released a mugshot of Mr Patterson from a previous arrest.
The Coast Guard veteran allegedly had a previous arrest for marijuana posession in Henry County, 11Alive reports.
The Daily Beast managed to reach Mr Patterson’s mother, who told them the VA had given him medicine that affected his judgement.
“The damn VA gave him some messed up medication. And all he wanted was an Ativan,” his mother, Minyone Patterson, told The Daily Beast.
Mr Patterson was reportedly a member of the US Coast Guard, according to CNN.
The Coast Guard said Mr Patterson “entered the Coast Guard in July 2018 and last served as an Electrician’s Mate Second Class. He was discharged from active duty in January 2023.”
“Our deepest sympathies are with the victims and their families,” the statement said.
A $10,000 reward for information leading to the location and arrest of Mr Patterson was offered via Crime Stoppers, according to Fox News.
