The man suspected of shooting three people at an Atlanta food court Tuesday was a convicted felon with nearly a dozen arrests on his record, according to police.

The gunman – identified only as a 34-year-old male who served time in prison for an armed robbery and was previously arrested 11 times – was shot by an off-duty police officer at the popular Peachtree Center food court, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters during a press conference.

The suspect survived the shooting, but not before firing on a 47-year-old male from Grayson, Georgia, a 69-year-old female from East Point, Georgia, and a 70-year-old female from Atlanta, who are recovering at local hospitals.

Investigators believe a physical confrontation between the gunman and one of the victims preceded the shooting.

"This is an individual that should never have been possessing a gun, an individual that should never have placed this community in harm," Schierbaum said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.