ATLANTA, GA — A 30-year-old Georgia man armed with multiple firearms unleashed dozens of rounds at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters Friday afternoon, killing a responding police officer and shattering windows across the sprawling campus. Officials say the gunman, identified as Patrick Joseph White, had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal.
The attack began when White attempted to enter the CDC’s main Atlanta facility but was stopped by security guards. Moments later, he drove to a CVS pharmacy across the street and began firing at the CDC complex from there, hitting at least four buildings. Law enforcement sources say White was armed with five firearms, including at least one long gun.
Officer David Rose, a DeKalb County police officer, was mortally wounded while responding to the scene. Rose, 33, was a former Marine who served in Afghanistan, graduated from the police academy in March, and was expecting his first child with his wife. “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.
Suspect Identified by His Father
Authorities say White’s father contacted police during the incident, identifying his son as the shooter. The father told investigators that White had been distraught over the recent death of his dog and had become consumed by anger toward the COVID-19 vaccine.
Neighbors in White’s Kennesaw community described him as friendly but increasingly preoccupied with anti-vaccine beliefs. “He was very unsettled, and he deeply believed that vaccines hurt him and were hurting other people,” said neighbor Nancy Hoalst. “I had no idea he thought he would take it out on the CDC.”
It has not been confirmed whether White died by police gunfire or by suicide.
Political Fallout and Accusations of Responsibility
The shooting has ignited fierce political debate. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., a long-time vaccine skeptic appointed to his post by President Donald Trump, issued a statement offering condolences and support for CDC workers. But many current and former employees say Kennedy’s rhetoric has fueled hostility toward the agency.
“Kennedy is directly responsible for the villainization of CDC’s workforce through his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety,” said Fired But Fighting, a group of laid-off employees critical of Kennedy’s leadership.
Under Kennedy’s tenure, nearly 2,000 CDC employees have been laid off, with Trump proposing to cut the agency’s budget in half next year. Kennedy has repeatedly attacked the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and slashed $500 million in funding for vaccine development earlier this week.
Criticism has also been directed at Russell Vought, a key Trump ally, after a resurfaced video showed him advocating for making federal workers “traumatically affected” and reluctant to come to work.
Inside the CDC Lockdown
When shots rang out, thousands of CDC employees were ordered into lockdown, sheltering for hours while police secured the scene. Staff described feeling like “sitting ducks” as bullets struck windows and tore into office walls.
CDC Director Susan Monarez confirmed that at least four buildings were damaged and advised employees to work from home or take leave on Monday. In an internal email, the CDC’s security office also urged staff to remove old parking decals from their cars to avoid being targeted.
A full security review is now underway.
A Community Shaken
Residents near the shooting scene expressed both grief and resignation. “This is an everyday thing that happens here in Georgia,” said Sam Atkins of Stone Mountain.
But for CDC staff, the violence marks a chilling escalation in threats against public health officials. Former CDC spokesperson Sarah Boim called the attack “the physical embodiment of the narrative that has taken over, attacking science, and attacking our federal workers.”
As Officer Rose’s family mourns and CDC workers process the trauma, investigators are piecing together the final hours of a man whose distrust of vaccines escalated into deadly violence.
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