One person was killed and at least four others injured after a gunman opened fire in a downtown Atlanta medical office building, police said.
The shooter is still at large and considered armed and dangerous, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
Police say the alleged gunman is a 24-year-old man.
At least three of the injured victims were sent to Grady Memorial Hospital and are in critical condition. All of the victims are adults, according to Dr. Robert Jansen, the hospital’s chief of staff, who briefed the media Wednesday afternoon.
At around 1 p.m. ET officers responded to the area of 1110 W Peachtree St. NW, an address associated with the Northside Hospital Midtown Medical, which includes several medical offices.
Officers are still searching for the suspect and don’t believe he is still in the area of the shooting, police said.
“We are lifting the shelter in place advisory, but we continue asking everyone to remain out of the area of this active investigation,” the department said in its latest alert.
Police released photos of the alleged shooter that appear to have been taken by security cameras. The individual is wearing a light-colored sweatshirt with the hood pulled over and dark pants. Many of the photos have this person’s face largely obscured with a face mask.
The APD is also investigating a possible link between the gunman and a carjacking that occurred near the site of the shooting not long after the incident. Police say they are still looking for this car.
Northside Hospital said it’s cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation.
“We urge people in the area to shelter in place and follow instructions from law enforcement on the scene,” the hospital tweeted. “This tragedy is affecting all of us, and we ask for patience and prayers at this time.”
KJ Johnson told reporters that he was in the Northside medical building for his son’s medical appointment when the shooting took place.
He said he heard pops while in the office waiting room, but mistook them for a motorcycle backfiring. It was the office TV in the waiting room that alerted Johnson and the other patients of the attack.
“At that time, we had no idea there was a shooting. But then the television was on and there was breaking news on the television. And they mentioned that there was an active shooter and they gave the address and the address was the building that we were in,” Johnson said outside the building.
The shooting took place just two floors above him, he recounted.
“We were in the ninth floor. So once everyone heard the shooting happened on the 11th floor, you can imagine that some of the folks in the room got a little nervous, a little tense,” he said.
Johnson said everyone kept calm and the medical staff in the office ushered people into a secure back room while they waited for police to arrive to escort them out.
The medical staff “didn’t make the matter worse by making it seem like there was some imminent threat to our health,” he said.
Johnson managed to assist a patient with limited mobility walk down the nine flight of stairs to safety once he and others were evacuated.
NPR