BURSTA lone gunman fired 180 shots at the Atlanta Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters on Friday, with bullets piercing about 150 windows, the Associated Press reported, citing internal reports. An array of buildings was damaged, including one where CDC Director Susan Monarez's office is housed.
Police identified Patrick Joseph White as the gunman and said he opened fire on the campus following claims that the COVID-19 vaccine made him severely depressed and suicidal, AP reported.
One police officer was killed during the incident; White was also fatally shot. Investigators are still working to uncover whether he succumbed to self-inflicted bullet wounds or if he was struck by law enforcement’s gun fire.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the site Monday, touring the area with HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and Monarez, according to a press release from the department.
“We know how shaken our public health colleagues feel today. No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,” Kennedy wrote in a post on X, following the shooting.
“We are actively supporting CDC staff on the ground and across the agency. Public health workers show up every day with purpose — even in moments of grief and uncertainty,” he added.
“We honor their service. We stand with them.”
However, some are blaming Kennedy, a former anti-vaccine advocate, for the attack.
“When your own leadership peddles falsehoods, it doesn't just erode the public trust. It creates the conditions for the kind of violence that we saw on Friday,” Yolanda Jacobs, president of AFGE Local 2883, said in a statement.
The labor union issued an open letter containing demands to depoliticize the agency, increase security presence and create more telework opportunities in the wake of the violent incident.