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Shooting at Atlanta Medical Building Leaves at Least One Dead

A man who Atlanta Police describe as a shooting suspect stands inside a hospital, in a still image from surveillance video in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. May 3, 2023. Atlanta Police Department/Handout via REUTERS
May 3, 2023

ATLANTA (Reuters)—At least one person was killed in a lunchtime shooting at a medical building in a busy commercial area of Atlanta, and the suspected gunman was still at large, police said on Wednesday.

Police, who said at least three people were hospitalized after the gunfire, responded to calls about an active shooter just after 12:30 p.m. local time in the Midtown section of the city, the Atlanta Police Department said in a tweet.

Police posted four photographs of the suspect on Twitter. The man is seen walking into an office doorway and raising his arm to point what appeared to be a handgun. The image does not show what he might have been targeting.

The suspect had a mask over his face and nose and was wearing a sweatshirt and carrying a brown backpack.

"Officers are actively searching for the suspect and any other victims," the department said.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a tweet that he was in contact with police and advised people in the area to shelter in place.

Police cordoned blocks of streets in Midtown, impeding the flow of traffic in the district.

About an hour after the gunfire, a SWAT team gathered near the High Art Museum, about 3/4 of a mile (1.21 km) from the shooting scene, according to a video posted on Twitter by a local CBS affiliate.

Atlanta Public Schools said several schools in the area would operate on external lockdown for the rest of the day "out of an abundance of caution."

(Reporting by Rich McKay and Tyler Clifford; Editing by Doina Chiacu)