The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has identified the individual who fired at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Patrick Joseph White, 30, from Kennesaw, Georgia.
The GBI statement says White died and Officer David Rose with the DeKalb County Police Department was shot and killed during the shooting Friday.
The assailant shot at the CDC headquarters from across the street, causing damage to building windows and leaving bullet casings on the sidewalk outside a CVS pharmacy. This incident triggered a massive response from law enforcement to one of the country’s leading public health organizations.
According to CDC Director Susan Monarez in a statement on X, at least four CDC buildings were struck. Photos from staff revealed several buildings with bullet-damaged windows, highlighting the extent of the assault on a campus that houses numerous scientists and workers engaged in vital disease research.
The CVS remained closed Saturday morning, with an apparent bullet hole in its front door. A lone bouquet was placed outside the building.
Without naming White Friday night, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described him as a “known person that may have, some interest in certain things.”
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum stated that the gunman was deceased at the location, but it is unclear if the cause was due to police action or self-harm.
The shooter had a long gun, and investigators found three additional firearms at the site, according to a law enforcement source who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.
The gunman’s motive is still unknown this early in the investigation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Friday.
A voicemail left at a phone number listed for White in public records was not immediately returned Saturday morning.
Rose, age 33, was a former Marine who had served in Afghanistan, recently graduated from the police academy in March, and was praised by DeKalb County for his “dedication, courage, and professionalism,” quickly earning respect from his peers.
“This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father,” DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said.
The GBI is leading the investigation, and said Saturday that unraveling what happened could take time.
“There is extensive evidence to collect due to the complex scene,” the agency said in its statement. “Numerous interviews are being conducted. This investigation will take an extended period of time.”
