Dead and injured in shooting in US hospital waiting room

It went wrong around noon yesterday in the city of the US state of Atlanta. The suspect, a 24-year-old former Coast Guard employee, reportedly showed up at the hospital with his mother for an appointment.

Unclear cause

It’s unclear exactly what led to the shooting, but according to The Washington Post something was not quite to the liking of the suspect. He may have received the wrong medication.

He then shot in the waiting room. Five women, aged 25 to 71, were affected. A 39-year-old woman died from her injuries, three others are in critical condition in hospital. Whether this concerns patients, employees or both is unclear. The suspect’s mother is unharmed and is cooperating with police.

“It was a madhouse here”

The suspect fled in a stolen car after the shooting. He was apprehended hours later in an Atlanta suburb after an undercover officer spotted him.

Several people who were in and around the hospital during the incident told a Washington Post reporter about the chaotic situation.

“It was an insane asylum here,” says a resident of the city. A surgeon who was performing surgery at the hospital during the incident tried to focus on his patient despite all the commotion.

‘We have to do something’

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock gave an impressive speech shortly after the incident, according to US media. Her own children had to stay in school locked out due to the shooting.

“It happened in a medical facility, where people come to be healed,” Warnock said. “It’s only a matter of time before these kinds of tragedies happen to all of us. We should be ashamed if we let this happen. We have to do something.”