Local

Medical receptionist talks about moments before Midtown Atlanta mass shooting suspect ‘snapped’

By Candace McCowan
By Candace McCowan

ATLANTA — All four survivors of the midtown mass shooting are out of the hospital nearly two weeks after a gunman opened fire in a medical building.

And now the receptionist who attempted to check the shooter in is sharing her story through social media.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

23-year-old Lutha Matundu said she hasn’t been back to work since the shooting on May 3 and explained what happened that day.

“He was super late for his appointment, but his mom was with him advocating that they really need to be seen. I was trying to see what I could do to get them seen. But ultimately the doctor said that’s when they couldn’t see him,” said Matundu.

Matundu said that’s when he snapped.

“That’s when he snapped. I don’t know if he heard me tell his mom that they couldn’t be seen or if he was planning this already but he started spraying us at the front desk with bullets,” said Matundu on her tiktok account. “I hit the floor, hid for my life. I heard him fire off about eight to nine rounds of bullets.”

Now, we are getting more details on how Deion Patterson was captured. Cobb County Police said a license plate reader alerted them to the fact that the car the suspect was driving was in their jurisdiction.

“I can guarantee you this, time was not our friend. It was getting dark and the sun was going down when we located this individual,” said Cobb County Police Chief Stuart VanHoozer.

Cobb County Police then relied on their Connect Cobb system, where they’re able to live stream video from private and government cameras into their Real Time Crime Center.

TRENDING STORIES:

It’s where they spotted the suspect and received a key 911 call.

“One of the civilians in this room recognized a 911 call that looked significantly different as far as location and description and she thought this was the person and we prioritized that call,” said VanHoozer.

Moments later Patterson was in custody.

For Lutha, what happened that day changed her life.

“I saw things that I will never forget for the rest of my life and I definitely have trauma from it,” she said.

Lutha is now advocating for the victims, asking for support while they recover. GoFundMe accounts have been created for Jazzmin Daniel and Alesha Hollinger.

Cobb County is now encouraging anyone with a camera at their house or business to join Connect Cobb and integrate their cameras, helping them catch violent criminals.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

City Council votes on millions to support migrants who may come to the city

©2022 Cox Media Group

Most Read