Officer Killed in CDC Shooting
A man is accused of killing a police officer during a shooting at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Friday. Authorities believe the shooter, Patrick Joseph White, 30, intended to protest the COVID-19 vaccine. White is said to have previously expressed suicidal thoughts and allegedly used his father’s firearm for the attack.
The officer, David Rose, was with the DeKalb County Police Department and had served in the Marines in Afghanistan. He was fatally shot while responding to the scene just before 5 PM. White’s driver’s license photo was shared by law enforcement on Tuesday.
In a press conference, officials revealed that over 500 shell casings were recovered, along with five firearms. Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), indicated that White had a history of mental health issues and had contacted the police regarding suicidal thoughts. “He had no criminal record, but evidence suggests he expressed suicidal ideation shortly before the incident,” Hosey stated.
White, a resident of Kennesaw near Atlanta, had called police multiple times about his mental health in the past year. According to reports, his father once informed the dispatcher that his son had taken a gun from his locker.
In a September call, White mentioned that his health declined after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. He described his pain and his history of back surgery as factors that led him to contemplate suicide. Following that incident, he was taken to a hospital but later refused mental health treatment during subsequent police interactions.
Hosey mentioned that White had accessed his father’s safe to obtain the weapon used in the shooting. Preliminary investigations found a document at his home that expressed grievances about the COVID-19 vaccine, though it lacked specific threats.
Authorities reported that White was stopped by a CDC security guard before he fled across the street to a pharmacy. The bullets penetrated the CDC’s windows, endangering employees inside. Following the attack, CDC officials are now reassessing campus security.
In a related note, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the CDC and the DeKalb County Police Department on Monday. He met with the widow of the slain officer. Recently, he announced changes in CDC vaccine recommendations, specifically for healthy children and pregnant individuals, leading to the cancellation of several mRNA vaccine contracts.
