DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Two families touched by the actions of a gunman who, police said, opened fire inside a Midtown medical office have filed suits against Northside Hospital and others – saying they failed to prevent the shooting that killed one and injured four other women.
It was a very traumatic and frightening mass shooting that took place in Midtown Atlanta. But the because a deep-pocketed defendant is based in DeKalb County, it was filed here.
The frenzy of police activity a little more than a year ago started moments after a gunman opened fire inside the building. Atlanta Police responded to a call at Northside Medical Midtown around noon -- an urgent care and family medicine facility. The accused gunman had shot five people then was missing for hours afterward.
“It’s so crazy. My memories are so vivid," Alesha Hollinger said in April 2024.
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Last month, Hollinger visited Grady Hospital, where doctors treated her after the gunman shot her in the face.
On May 3, 2023, she stepped off an elevator in the Northside medical building when the gunman opened fire. She has spent the last year recovering and rehabilitating.
The lawsuit filed on her behalf contends the defendants “had reasonable opportunity to be aware of the frequency and types of criminal activity” at the medical building, but failed to secure it.
Northside and other defendants are expected to contest the claim.
Last month, Hollinger told 11Alive that she's grateful a year later for a measure of recovery.
“Because our story ended up being a happy one. But the other side of that is the sadness and remorse I feel for the other families,” Hollinger said.
Amy St. Pierre did not survive. She was shot after she arrived at the Midtown facility for an appointment.
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Her family filed a separate lawsuit against Northside and other defendants, also contending they failed to secure the property.
Hours after the shooting, police arrested Deion Dewayne Patterson and charged him with murder and aggravated assault. He’s in the Fulton County jail awaiting trial.
The lawsuits ask for a jury trial and don’t ask for a specific dollar amount in damages. Hollinger’s suit says she expects to face $1.5 million in medical bills.