Authorities have identified the gunman behind Friday’s deadly shooting outside the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta as a Georgia man who believed the COVID-19 vaccine had left him depressed and suicidal.
The suspect, 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, attempted to enter the CDC campus but was stopped by security before crossing the street to a pharmacy and opening fire, a law enforcement official told the Associated Press. He was armed with five firearms, including at least one long gun, the official said. White was later found dead on the second floor of the pharmacy building. Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum noted it remains unclear whether his death was self-inflicted or the result of police gunfire.
DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, 33, was fatally shot while responding. Rose, a former Marine who served in Afghanistan, had graduated from the police academy earlier this year. CDC Director Susan Monarez confirmed on social media that at least four buildings on the agency’s sprawling campus had bullet damage.
The American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2883, which represents CDC workers, said the shooting “compounds months of mistreatment, neglect, and vilification” staff have endured. The union is pressing federal health leaders to publicly reject vaccine misinformation, warning that disinformation is putting scientists in danger. “Their leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails,” the union stated.
In addition to urging stronger public messaging, the union called for heightened perimeter security until the investigation concludes. It also pushed back against any immediate return to work for staff, stressing that windows and buildings should be repaired first. “Staff should not be required to work next to bullet holes,” the statement read, warning that forcing an early return risks re-traumatizing employees.
The shooting left hundreds sheltering inside campus buildings late into the night, including more than 90 children inside the CDC’s Clifton School.
According to investigators, White’s father contacted police to identify his son as the possible shooter, saying he had recently been distraught over his dog’s death and increasingly obsessed with the belief that COVID-19 vaccines were harmful. Neighbor, Nancy Hoalst said, White “very deeply believed that vaccines hurt him and were hurting other people.” She said she never imagined he would resort to violence, noting, “I had no idea he thought he would take it out on the CDC.”
Former CDC employees’ group ‘Fired But Fighting’ placed blame on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accusing him of fueling hostility toward CDC workers through “continuous lies about science and vaccine safety.” Kennedy responded on Saturday, saying, “No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation described the scene as “complex” and said the review will take an extended period to complete.
