The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Federal Bureau of Investigation held a joint news conference Tuesday morning to provide more details on the Aug. 8 shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campus.
GBI Director Chris Hosey said the parents of the deceased suspect – Patrick Joseph White, 30, of Kennesaw, GA – were cooperating with investigators. Hosey revealed that White had left behind written documents expressing his “discontent” with COVID-19 vaccines and his desire to make his feelings known to the public.
Hosey also said the five weapons used in the incident belonged to White’s father, and the suspect had broken into a gun safe to access them. White was carrying two rifles, a shotgun, and a handgun.
White had no criminal history, but had recently verbalized thoughts of suicide, and police had done a welfare check in July. Hosey said White died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the incident.
More than 500 shell casings from the five firearms White was carrying were collected at the scene, Hosey said, and noted that 200 rounds had struck six of the CDC headquarters buildings off Clifton Road.
Hosey said video evidence had been recovered from multiple scenes and encouraged anyone who might have cell phone videos to provide them to the GBI via its tip line or website portal.
FBI Atlanta Division Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said a threat assessment was ongoing at the CDC campus. Brown said he was aware of employees’ concerns about threats and disinformation rhetoric about vaccines and that the FBI was monitoring the situation.
CDC employees are continuing to telework for the rest of the week, officials said. U.S. Health and Human Services Director Robert Kennedy Jr. visited the CDC headquarters on Monday.
A rally is scheduled for Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Rollins School of Public Health on the Emory University campus to address “vaccine misinformation and gun violence prevention.”
Both Hosey and Brown honored DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, who was fatally wounded responding to the active shooter call. A GoFundMe set up for Rose’s family has already raised more than $358,000.
“Officer Rose died a hero protecting his community and he will not be forgotten,” Brown said.
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
