On Friday, a Georgia man who believed the COVID-19 vaccine had ruined his life opened fire on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta. He killed a police officer and ignited an outcry against the dangers of vaccine misinformation.
Authorities have identified the gunman as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, who lost his life in the incident. White tried to enter the CDC campus with five guns, including at least one long gun, according to police, but security stopped him. He then went ahead to a CVS pharmacy on the other side of the street, where he opened fire on the large complex, striking at least four buildings.
While responding to the scene, Officer David Rose, 33, a recent graduate of the police academy and former Marine, sustained fatal injuries. As for White’s death on the site of the shootings, Atlanta Police Chief, Darin Schierbaum said, “We do not know(…) whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted..”
According to CDC Director Susan Monarez, the attack left both physical and psychological scars, and bullet marks were found all through multiple campus buildings. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation alerted that the investigation would take a long time and referred to the scene as “complex.”
The shooting was called out by the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2883, which represents CDC employees, as the most recent in a series of attacks on public health professionals that have been created by false information. The union said it was not random and called on federal officials to take a “clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine disinformation.”
The union claims that several employees, including over 90 students at the nearby Clifton School, were locked down for several hours. Staff members were told to wait for the buildings to be fully restored before going back to offices next to bullet-riddled walls.
Investigators say that after understanding what was going on, White’s father recognized him and reported him to the police.
He informed authorities that his son, the Georgia shooter, was in mourning over his dog’s passing and getting more fixated on the idea that the COVID-19 vaccine was the trigger behind his depression and suicidal thoughts.
Rest in peace Police Officer David Rose of the DeKalb County Police Department, Georgia, who was shot and killed on 8/8/25 while responding to an active shooter.
“The suspect was brandishing multiple guns, firing at the windows of the CDC building around 4:50 p.m. When law… pic.twitter.com/tN6W20l0eX
— Angel L Maysonet (@bigricanman) August 9, 2025
White frequently brought up his skewed view of vaccines in casual conversations, according to neighbor Nancy Hoalst, who spoke to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He very deeply believed that vaccines hurt him and were hurting other people,” she said.
“I had no idea he thought he would take it out on the CDC.”
Even though it’s unclear if White looked for professional help, experts warn that this Georgia case shows how online echo chambers and false information may reinforce opinions and bend reality, at times with deadly consequences.
“No one should face violence while working to protect the health of other,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been condemned by CDC employees, both past and present, for his discourse with respect to vaccines.
RFK Jr. just FIRED the CDC’s entire panel of vaccine “experts.”
NBC called it Kennedy’s “most aggressive action” yet on vaccines.
This is the sweeping reform that Big Pharma was terrified of.
The level of corruption RFK Jr. exposed will shock you.
🧵THREAD pic.twitter.com/UducfmjQAo
— Holden Culotta (@Holden_Culotta) June 9, 2025
But Fired But Fighting, a group of CDC employees who were laid off, charged that Kennedy’s “continuous lies” regarding vaccine safety contributed to a “climate of hostility.”
They claim that this kind of language has made threats against scientists bolder and has stifled efforts in public health, just like in this Georgia case. Calls for increased CDC campus security continue to grow as the investigation progresses.
The union has requested perimeter controls and a review of procedures to safeguard the thousands of workers involved in critical disease prevention. The attack on Friday was by a man whose fear of a vaccine turned into murderous acts — which many within the CDC believed to be a targeted attack at the heart of America’s public health mission rather than a random act.
