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Atlanta CDC Shooting: Officer Killed, Gunman Targeted Agency Over Vaccine Beliefs
Tragedy struck the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta on Friday when a gunman opened fire, killing a police officer.
The suspect, identified as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, was found dead at the scene. Authorities believe White targeted the CDC due to his belief that COVID-19 vaccines had negatively impacted his health.
The incident unfolded as White attempted to enter the CDC headquarters but was stopped by security. He then drove to a nearby pharmacy and began shooting, striking several CDC buildings.
DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, a 33-year-old Marine veteran, was killed in the line of duty while responding to the scene. White was later found dead on the second floor of a building across from the CDC campus.
It is currently unclear whether his death was self-inflicted or the result of police gunfire. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting a thorough investigation into the complex crime scene.
The shooting has sent shockwaves through the CDC community, with employees expressing concerns about safety and the impact of vaccine misinformation. A union representing CDC workers reported that staff, including over 90 children at the CDC’s Clifton School, were locked down in various buildings during the incident.
The union has demanded increased security measures and urged federal officials to condemn vaccine misinformation, citing it as a contributing factor to the violence. CDC leadership has confirmed that the agency was the intended target of the attack and has announced that employees will work remotely on Monday while campus security is assessed.
White’s father informed police that his son had been distraught over the recent death of his dog and had become fixated on COVID-19 vaccines. Neighbors corroborated these accounts, describing White as deeply convinced that vaccines had harmed him and others, though they never anticipated he would resort to violence.