Deion Patterson cleared for trial in Midtown mass shooting

Midtown shooter ruled competent for trial

A Fulton County judge ruled that Deon Patterson is now competent to stand trial for the 2023 Midtown Atlanta medical facility shooting that killed one person and injured four others.

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The man charged in the deadly 2023 Northside Hospital shooting has been cleared for trial about a year and a half after originally being determined incompetent.

What we know:

Judge Eric K. Dunaway made the ruling on Thursday after the same judge originally found him incompetent in 2024. 

The backstory:

Deion Patterson is accused of shooting and killing one woman and injuring four others when he opened fire inside the waiting room of a Midtown Atlanta medical practice on May 3, 2023. He fled the scene and was found hours later in Cobb County.

The shooting claimed the life of 38-year-old Amy St. Pierre. Patterson was charged with murder and felony murder in her death. He was also charged with four counts of attempted murder, one count each in the shootings of Jazzmin Daniel, Lisa Glynn, Alesha Hollinger, and Georgette Whitlow.

Deion Patterson (Credit: Fulton County Sheriff's Office)

Additionally, Patterson is charged with three counts of attempted battery, five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the shooting. Authorities have said Patterson stole a pickup truck that he used to flee and damaged another vehicle by shooting it, leading to one count each of theft by taking and second-degree criminal damage to property, according to the indictment.

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Patterson's mother previously said he had been honorably discharged earlier in the year from the U.S. Coast Guard. She also said her son suffered from mental illness, something the Coast Guard had been helping him through.

What they're saying:

"We're at the point now after talking to all three of the doctors that Mr. Patterson is competent to assist us in a defense, he is competent to stand trial," said Shawn Hoover, Patterson's Attorney.

"We've had Mr. Patterson's case for a couple of years now, he's been in custody for a couple years and I would like to make Mr. Patterson's case a priority," said Fulton County Superior Court Judge Eric Dunaway.

"Competency is an evolving issue; defendants can be competent at one point and then not competent at another point," said Joshua Schiffer, a longtime criminal defense attorney not affiliated with the case. "So, ensuring consistent competency during the trial is a really important priority for the court."

"Mr. Patterson's mental health at the time of this shooting is going to be central to his defense under the theory that he was temporarily incompetent," Schiffer said.

What's next:

Patterson's trial is scheduled to begin June 1.