A man from Georgia, who previously blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for his feelings of depression and suicidal thoughts, has been identified as the individual who shot at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters. This tragic event occurred late Friday, resulting in the death of a police officer.
The assailant, aged 30, lost his life during this shootout. Before being stopped by security at the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters, he attempted entry and subsequently drove to a pharmacy opposite the building, where he began shooting, according to a law enforcement official who briefed The Associated Press on Saturday.
Known as Patrick Joseph White, the suspect was found with five firearms, including at least one long gun, the official disclosed under anonymity to adhere to protocol regarding the investigation.
A union, which represents CDC employees, stated the attack wasn’t random and highlighted long-standing issues of mistreatment, neglect, and negative portrayal faced by CDC staff. The union called upon federal authorities to denounce vaccine misinformation, as it endangers scientists.
Here’s what to know about the shooting and the continuing investigation:
An attack on a prominent public health institution
Authorities report that White fired his weapons outside the CDC headquarters on Friday, causing damage to windows across the campus. CDC Director Susan Monarez noted on X that bullets impacted at least four buildings.
DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, who was critically injured while attending to the scene, was a 33-year-old former Marine deployed in Afghanistan and had completed his police training earlier in March.
White was found on the second floor of a building across the street from the CDC campus and died at the scene, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. He added that “we do not know at this time whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations said the crime scene was “complex” and the investigation would take “an extended period of time.”
CDC union calls for condemnation of vaccine misinformation and tighter security
The American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2883, said the CDC and leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services must provide a “clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine disinformation.”
Such a public statement by federal officials is needed to help prevent violence against scientists, the union said in a news release.
“Their leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails,” the union said.
Fired But Fighting, a group of laid-off CDC employees, has said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is directly responsible for the villainization of CDC’s workforce through “his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust.”
Kennedy reached out to staff on Saturday, saying “no one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.”
Thousands of people who work on critical disease research are employed on the campus. The union said some staff were huddled in various buildings until late at night, including more than 90 young children who were locked down inside the CDC’s Clifton School.
The union said CDC staff should not be required to immediately return to work after experiencing such a traumatic event. In a statement released Saturday, it said windows and buildings should first be fixed and made “completely secure.”
“Staff should not be required to work next to bullet holes,” the union said. “Forcing a return under these conditions risks re-traumatizing staff by exposing them to the reminders of the horrific shooting they endured.”
The union also called for “perimeter security on all campuses” until the investigation is fully completed and shared with staff.
Shooter had fixation on COVID-19 vaccine
White’s father, who contacted police and identified his son as the possible shooter, said White had been upset over the death of his dog and also had become fixated on the COVID-19 vaccine, according to the law enforcement official.
A neighbor of White told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that White “seemed like a good guy” but spoke with her multiple times about his distrust of COVID-19 vaccines in unrelated conversations.
“He was very unsettled, and he very deeply believed that vaccines hurt him and were hurting other people,” Nancy Hoalst, told the Atlanta newspaper. “He emphatically believed that.”
But Hoalst said she never believed White would be violent: “I had no idea he thought he would take it out on the CDC.”
