ATLANTA — A man accused of opening fire inside a medical clinic in Midtown Atlanta, sparking panic while killing one and injuring four others in 2023, has been declared not competent to stand trial.
A Fulton County Superior Court order declared that the suspect of the mass shooting, Deion Patterson, was committed to the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities along with being declared not competent to stand trial.
Patterson was indicted last year for the death of 38-year-old Amy Wald St. Pierre, as well as shooting and injuring four other women inside Northside Medical Center on May 3, 2023. Following the mass shooting, he led authorities on an hours-long manhunt, which ended in his arrest in Cobb County. The then 24-year-old was indicted on more than a dozen charges, including felony murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Patterson's legal team then filed a special plea of incompetency and said he was incapable of understanding the nature of the charges or the proceedings against him.
This October, the county had a bench trial where a psychologist testified that it was his opinion that Patterson was not competent to stand trial. The psychologist said that Patterson could not remember the details of the crime and described it all as a blur. He was only able to remember places but not details of what he was accused of or the actions of others who were present.
After considering the medical and psychological evidence presented, the court agreed with the psychologist that Patterson was not competent to stand trial. In the Oct. 15 order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Eric Dunaway said that the suspect would be sent to the Department of Behavioral Health and within 90 days, he would be evaluated and a diagnosis made as to whether he is mentally incompetent to stand trial. If he was not found competent, the agency must also say if there's a chance he could attain mental competency in the foreseeable future.
If it is discovered that Patterson is currently mentally incompetent, but there's a "substantial probability" that he will attain competency, then by the end of the 90-day period or at any time before, the department will need to report the findings. They can retain custody over Patterson for continued treatment for an additional period that cannot exceed nine months.
"If the Defendant becomes mentally competent to stand trial, the committing Court shall be notified, and the Defendant shall be returned to the Court," the order reads.
Overall, although Patterson cannot currently have a trial, depending on his evaluation, there could eventually be one for this case. In addition, even if it's determined that he is not mentally competent and won't be for the foreseeable future, the Department of Behavioral Health still needs to report whether Patterson could meet the criteria for a civil case.