Police have arrested the suspect in the shooting of five women in a hospital waiting room in the US.
Deion Patterson, 24, was seen by undercover police 15 miles from the scene, Northside Medical centre in Atlanta, after allegedly fleeing in a stolen vehicle.
Four women were injured and a the fifth, aged 39, was confirmed dead at the hospital.
The alleged shooter’s mother, Minyone Patterson, said her son – a former member of the US Coast Guard – was struggling with “mental instability” around the time of the shooting.
She claimed Patterson was receiving medication through the Veterans Affairs health system and delivered an emotional message to those impacted by her son’s alleged actions.
READ MORE: Multiple people shot after gunman opens fire inside hospital
Struggling to hold back emotion, Ms Patterson said on Wednesday: “Those families, those families.”
She added: “They’re hurting because they wouldn’t give my son his damn Ativan (a medication used to treat anxiety).
“Those families lost their loved ones because he had a mental break because they wouldn’t listen to me.”
The women struck in the incident were aged between 25 and 71, Atlanta’s mayor Andre Dickens said. He added the five women were “fighting for their lives at Grady Hospital”.
According to authorities, police say they managed to locate a vehicle that matched a description of the one reportedly being driven by the shooter.
It was located in a car park next to the Atlanta Braves’ city baseball stadium.
The shooting took place on Wednesday, with emergency services rushing to the Northside Medical building in the city’s bustling Midtown neighbourhood.
The facility is located on West Peachtree Street, which is described as a commercial area, featuring office blocks and apartments.
A spokesperson for Veteran Affairs claimed it was unable to speak fully about the extent of the case due to patient privacy.
It added, however, it was “horrified” to hear of the shooting.
As the drama unfolded, police told those in the vicinity to “secure their building and shelter”.
Others were told to stay away from the area as the investigation began.
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