Georgia authorities have identified the gunman who fatally shot a police officer outside the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters Friday as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White of Kennesaw, Georgia.
White opened fire on the CDC campus in Atlanta around 4:50 p.m. before entering a CVS pharmacy on the Emory University campus, according to police. Dekalb County officer David Rose, 33, was shot and killed while responding to the active shooter.
Officer Rose Killed in the Line of Duty
Rose joined the department in September 2024 and was rushed to Emory University Hospital, where he died from his injuries. The gunman was also found dead at the scene, though authorities have not confirmed whether his fatal wound was self-inflicted.
Officials said Rose leaves behind a pregnant wife and two children. “There is a wife without a husband… three children, one unborn, without a father,” Dekalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said.
Possible Motive
Law enforcement sources told CNN that the shooter may have targeted the CDC after becoming ill from an alleged vaccine-related condition, based on interviews with his family.
Emory University issued an active shooter alert just before 5 p.m., urging students to “RUN” and “HIDE.” The CDC campus was placed on lockdown.
Gunfire Hits CDC Buildings
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said the suspect fired multiple rounds at law enforcement and the CDC complex, which is next to a daycare caring for 92 children. None of the children were harmed.
At least four CDC buildings were struck, according to agency director Susan Monarez. Photos from the scene showed bullet holes in CDC windows and a police cruiser riddled with more than a dozen gunshots.
Weapons Recovered
Authorities say the suspect was armed with a long gun, and three additional firearms were recovered at the scene.
“This investigation will take an extended period of time,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said, noting the complexity of the crime scene and ongoing interviews.
