ATLANTA — Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi and Mayor Andre Dickens are calling for state and federal action to prevent mass shootings in the wake of Georgia's latest tragedy.
The shooting happened Wednesday at the Northside Medical Midtown facility and killed one woman and injured four others. The alleged shooter, 24-year-old Deion Patterson, is in custody.
Farokhi, who represents the district where the shooting took place, expressed frustration and fear among his constituents.
"This is no way to live and know no type of environment in which to raise kids. We have to do something in this country to reduce that violence," he said.
Farokhi suggested solutions such as gun buyback programs and de-escalation training for conflict resolution but acknowledged that real change would have to come from state and federal action to bring stronger gun reform to reality.
Dickens echoed the sentiment saying that the issue needs to be looked at broadly from a national and state perspective to get guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them. He also mentioned that his office has reached out to the shooting victims and their families.
"There will be justice in this case. But that doesn’t change the fact that one woman died, and four others were seriously injured," Dickens said in part in a statement. "It doesn’t change the fact that our city experienced a collective trauma. Families are grieving today and our community is on edge. We will soon all be made aware of how we can appropriately show our love to these families and come together as a community in solidarity."
Dickens added in the statement while violent crime in Atlanta has significantly decreased from this time last year, the city needs to do more.
"We need national action to change the way we treat mental health. And we need action that keeps guns out of the hands of people who should not have them," Dickens said in the statement. "We cannot accept mass shootings as normal in our country. We know it does not have to be this way. Other nations have challenges with mental health, but they don’t have this level of gun violence that we do in America."
As the city grapples with the aftermath of the shooting, leaders are calling for action to prevent another tragedy like this from occurring in the future.
"This is a moment for healing as a community. But it is also a moment that calls us to action. Atlanta is a group project. Just as we came together yesterday to respond to this shooting, we must now come together with resolve to each do our parts to stop these horrific events from happening again, whether here in Atlanta or anywhere in our country," Dickens added in the statement.