ATLANTA — A Fulton County judge says the man accused of a mass shooting inside a midtown Atlanta medical office last year is not competent to stand trial.
The judge ruled Tuesday that Deion Patterson cannot be tried “at this time” and must be committed to the care of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
“After consideration of all the medical and psychological evidence, the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is incapable of understanding the nature of the charges against him or of understanding the object of the proceedings against him and is incapable of rendering his attorney the proper assistance in his defense,” the order said.
Patterson, a 24-year-old military veteran, was accused of shooting five women inside a Northside Hospital clinic in May 2023 before going on the run and being caught hours later.
Patterson injured four women and killed a fifth, Amy St. Pierre, a mother of two and an employee of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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After the incident, Patterson allegedly stole a vehicle and tried to escape, driving through Cobb County, where he was eventually arrested.
A doctor testified during a bench trial on Oct. 3, that Patterson “was unable to remember details about the incident, describing events as a blur, only able to remember places but not the details of what he did or the actions of others who were present.”
Another hearing will be held in three months to see if Patterson has made any progress.
“Within 90 days after the Department of Behavioral Health has received actual custody of the Defendant, the Defendant shall be evaluated and a diagnosis made as to whether the Defendant is presently mentally incompetent to stand trial and, if so, whether there is a substantial probability that the Defendant will attain mental competency to stand trial in the foreseeable future,” the order said.
Patterson was indicted in June 2023 and charged with murder, felony murder, four counts of attempted murder, five counts of aggravated assault, aggravated battery, criminal damage to property, theft by taking and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.