The mother of the man accused of killing one woman and injuring four others in a Midtown medical office said her son was having a “mental break.”
Deion Patterson, who was discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard in January, wanted to be prescribed the anxiety medication Ativan, his mother said in an interview with The Associated Press. But his Veterans Affairs medical team declined to give it to him, fearing he could become addicted, according to the report.
On Wednesday afternoon, Minyone Patterson went with her son to an appointment at the Northside Hospital Midtown medical office building. That’s when investigators say the 24-year-old opened fire before leading various law enforcement agencies on an eight-hour manhunt that ended in Cobb County.
The suspect’s mother said Patterson had “some mental instability going on” from medication that he began taking Friday, The AP reported. It was not clear if she knew he was carrying a gun.
Minyone Patterson said her son had wanted Ativan to deal with anxiety and depression, but was denied it. She’s a nurse and said she told the VA medical team he would only have taken the proper dosage so as not to become addicted.
“Those families, those families,” she said, starting to sob. “They’re hurting because they wouldn’t give my son his damn Ativan. Those families lost their loved ones because he had a mental break because they wouldn’t listen to me.”
Deion Patterson was being held Thursday in the Fulton County jail.
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