Atlanta Shooting Suspect Is Former Service Member, Was At Medical Center For Mental Health Check: Report

A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest of Deion Patterson, the 24-year-old former service member and suspect in the Wednesday shooting at an Atlanta medical office building, CNN reported.

According to CNN, “Apparently this was a former coast guard member, service member, whose family was concerned for his mental health, who reportedly arrived at an appointment with his mother. Something took place during the course of that appointment…that set him off.”

Atlanta Police said Patterson’s mother has been cooperating with them as they search for her son.

One person was killed and four others seriously injured in the shooting that took place in Midtown Atlanta and set off a manhunt for Patterson.

“So the military background is obviously concerning because it means he has weapons training, he has tactics training and that makes him, you know, capable and formidable, depending on how his encounter goes when police find him or catch up to him,” said John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement analyst. “That’s something they’re going to have to be thinking about. He’s been trained to shoot, he’s been trained to shoot accurately, he’s been trained to shoot under pressure.”

CNN’s Jim Sciutto said Patterson’s mother had been concerned about his mental state and took him to an evaluation at the medical center when the shooting occurred.

“That’s something police encourage folks to do if they’re concerned about a loved one or someone they know well,” Sciutto said.

Miller said something may have “rattled” Patterson during the appointment.

“Whether they told him they wanted to get him into an inpatient situation, that might have rattled him; whether just his presence there further agitated him, but we know we had a mother struggling with an adult child who she had concern for, that she brought him to professionals.”

Miller said it appeared as though Patterson came to the appointment with a plan.

“When you look at these pictures, you know, he came armed, he came with that satchel strapped to his front and he came ready to react,” Miller said. “So clearly he was suffering from whatever distress she was concerned about and then apparently more, and willing to act out.”

Police said Patterson is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.

Watch the CNN clip above.