Midtown shooting suspect Deion Patterson was ruled “mentally incompetent” to stand trial

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Deion Patterson (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office)

ATLANTA – Deion Patterson, the suspect in the Midtown Atlanta shooting case, has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. In a decision by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Eric Dunaway, Patterson was ordered committed to the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities for evaluation and possible treatment.

The ruling comes after an October 3 trial in which Judge Dunaway found Patterson “unable to understand the nature of the charges or subject matter of the proceedings” against him, and further determined that he was “unable to assist his attorney stand by the preparation’. of his defense.” The court’s ruling came after Patterson’s defense presented testimony from Dr. LeRoy Reese, a psychologist, who concluded that Patterson was not competent to stand trial. According to Reese, Patterson could not remember the details of the incident, describing the events as a “blur” and only vaguely remembering locations without specific actions or interactions.

Under Georgia law, Patterson will be evaluated by the Department of Behavioral Health within 90 days to determine whether he has a “substantial opportunity” to achieve competency in the near future. If Patterson is later deemed competent, he will return to court for further proceedings. Should he remain incompetent, the department may detain him for an additional period of up to nine months for continued treatment.

The court’s order also explains that if Patterson is deemed unlikely to achieve competency, a report will be filed and he will be returned to the custody of the Fulton County Sheriff. The department is also tasked with assessing whether Patterson meets the criteria for civilian deployment.

Patterson is accused of shooting and killing a woman and wounding four others when he opened fire in the waiting room of a Midtown Atlanta medical practice on May 3, 2023. He fled the scene and was found hours later in Cobb County.

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The shooting claimed the life of 38-year-old Amy St. Pierre. Patterson was charged with murder and murder in her death.

He was also charged with four counts of attempted murder, one count each of Jazzmin Daniel, Lisa Glynn, Alesha Hollinger and Georgette Whitlow.

Patterson is also charged with three counts of attempted battery, five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony in the shooting.

Authorities have said Patterson stole a pickup truck that he fled and damaged another vehicle by shooting at it, leading to one count of theft by taking and second-degree criminal damage to property, according to the indictment.

Patterson’s mother previously said he was honorably discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard earlier this year. She also said her son suffered from mental illness, something the Coast Guard had helped him through.