Suspect who fired 180 shots at CDC and motivated by ‘vaccine misinformation’ is pictured
Authorities have released a photo of the gunman who fired nearly 200 rounds at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta after blaming the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal.
Patrick Joseph White fired roughly 180 shots at the CDC’s campus Friday, breaking about 150 windows and killing DeKalb County police officer David Rose, 33, before turning the gun on himself, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.
Documents found in a search of the home where 30-year-old White lived with his parents “expressed the shooter’s discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations,” the bureau’s director Chris Hosey said Tuesday.
White wrote that he wanted to make “the public aware of his discontent with the vaccine,” Hosey said.
The American Federation of Government Employees union slammed vaccine misinformation for putting agency staffers at risk, demanding a “clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine disinformation by CDC and HHS leadership.” No staffers were hurt in the shooting. But, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a known vaccine skeptic.
“Their leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails. This condemnation is necessary to help prevent violence against scientists that may be incited by such disinformation,” the organization said.
Leading up to the shooting, White had expressed thoughts of self-harm, which led to law enforcement being contacted weeks earlier, Hosey said. White had no known criminal history.
In addition to finding the writings from White, authorities recovered five weapons belonging to the gunman’s father that were used in the attack. The guns had been locked up, but White “forced his way into the safe” that held them,11Alive reported.
The five guns were described by Hosey as rifles, shotguns and possibly a handgun. He said most of the shell casings left at the scene were from a long gun.
White had been stopped by CDC security guards before he drove to the CVS pharmacy across the street, where he opened fire. His bullets pierced “blast-resistant” windows at the CDC and sent glass shards flying into several rooms at the agency.
Over 500 shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Kennedy toured the CDC campus Monday with Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and CDC Director Susan Monarez.
Monarez wrote on social media that at least four CDC buildings were struck in the shooting. Employees were advised to work from home this week, though officials have said the damage may take several months to repair.
Kennedy, a longtime skeptic who has spread vaccine misinformation, issued a statement Saturday saying, “no one should face violence while working to protect the health of others” and that federal officials were supporting CDC staff.
When asked directly what his plan was to stop vaccine misinformation and prevent similar attacks from happening in the future, Kennedy denied any link.
“We don’t know enough about what the motive was of this individual, but people can ask questions without being penalized,” Kennedy said, according to The Hill.
With reporting by the Associated Press.
