Atlanta Shooting at C.D.C. Leaves Police Officer Dead

Last Friday, a shooting occurred at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) headquarters in Atlanta, leaving a police officer dead. This attack occurred in response to misinformation on vaccines.

The suspect, a 30-year-old man, opened fire at a CVS store across the street from the C.D.C. headquarters around 5 p.m. on Friday, August 8. At least four buildings were struck by roughly 180 bullets, breaking 150 windows. Building 21, containing director Susan Monarez’s office, was hit by the most bullets, although the actual office remained seemingly safe.

After the attack, law enforcement officials discovered the suspect on the second floor of the CVS store, but he was already dead. Authorities have yet to determine whether this was due to the police or if he killed himself.

The suspect was identified as Patrick Joseph White, who lived in Kennesaw, Georgia, thirty miles away from C.D.C. An article from the New York Times states, “Mr. White was known mostly for quietly pitching in. He helped with handiwork, mowed lawns, trimmed hedges, and walked dogs — sometimes for pay, sometimes not. But some neighbors had noticed a shift in him. Nancy Hoalst, who lives across the cul-de-sac from the Whites’ beige two-story house, said he had become ‘unsettled.'”

“He very deeply believed that vaccines had hurt him and that they were hurting other people,” said Ms. Hoalst.

The motive of this assault was likely in relation to rumors surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine. Mr. White believed that the vaccine was the reason why he became depressed and suicidal. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, has also expressed similar concerns, calling it the “deadliest vaccine ever made.”

The police officer killed in the attack was Officer David Rose from the DeKalb County Police Department. The 33-year-old had served in the Marines and worked in local jails, supervising inmates. Later, he said he “wanted to be more of a help to people” and became a police officer in March. As one of the first to respond on Friday, the rookie was seriously injured and pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Kennedy said, “No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.”

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/10/us/cdc-shooting-atlanta.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/11/atlanta-cdc-shooting

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/us/gunman-cdc-shooting-vaccines.html