The gunman who opened fire at the Atlanta headquarters for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broke into his father’s safe to get the five firearms he brought to the scene of last Friday’s shooting, state investigators said.
The shooter – previously identified as Patrick Joseph White – fired nearly 500 rounds during the shooting, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said at a news conference Tuesday. Most of the shell casings found at the scene were from a long gun, one of the weapons White took from his father.
White – who GBI Director Chris Hosey confirmed died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound – had expressed discontent with the Covid-19 vaccine in written documents recovered from his home. White “wanted to make the public aware of his public distrust of the vaccines,” Hosey said.
The updates Tuesday come as the CDC holds an all-agency meeting amid staff concerns following last week’s shooting, which claimed the life of DeKalb County police officer David Rose. No one at the CDC was injured in the shooting.
Here’s what else we know:
Hundreds of shots were fired
The shooting started just before 5 p.m. Friday at a CVS drugstore directly across from the CDC’s main entrance. Rose arrived as White fired on the CDC complex; on Tuesday, investigators confirmed Rose was fatally shot by White.
Of the nearly 500 shots fired, about 200 struck six CDC buildings on the campus, which is located near Emory University on the eastern edge of Atlanta.
Most of those shots were fired by a long gun, investigators said – one of the five weapons White had stolen from his father. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has determined all the firearms belonged to White’s father.
All five firearms – a mix of rifles, a shotgun and a handgun – were recovered, Hosey said, noting that White’s family is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
Shooter ‘verbalized thoughts of suicide’
White had no known criminal history, Hosey told reporters Tuesday.
But he had “recently verbalized thoughts of suicide,” Hosey said, and law enforcement was contacted several weeks before the shooting. It is unclear who reached out to law enforcement.
A law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CNN the gunman took his own life after unsuccessfully attempting to leave the CVS. Investigators believe White ran out of some of his ammunition, but the door was locked and would not open after firing a few rounds at it, the law enforcement official said.
CDC holds all-hands meeting
The CDC’s all-agency meeting Tuesday had been pre-scheduled following the confirmation of Director Dr. Susan Monarez, according to a CDC staffer who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal. But the staffer noted they had been told the meeting’s content clearly would change because of Friday’s shooting.
Friday’s shooting was the latest unsettling chapter in a turbulent period for the CDC, one of the world’s leading health agencies. The agency has come under fire during the second Trump administration as conspiracy theories continue to plague the vaccines credited with halting the spread of Covid-19.
Hundreds of rattled staffers joined a hastily arranged Zoom call over the weekend where CDC leaders told them the attack was targeted and deliberate. CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry acknowledged the terror staffers experienced, whether they were in the building or not, saying leaders were “mad this happened.”
In an internal video sent to staff ahead of Tuesday’s meeting, Monarez said, “Science and public health should never be under attack.”
Monarez appeared emotional in the video as she pledged support for CDC employees left “shaken, saddened and deeply concerned.”
“My thoughts are with everyone impacted, and I want you to know that your safety, your well-being, and your sense of security remain my highest priority,” Monarez said. “Science and public health should never be under attack. What we do here is about protecting lives. It’s about preventing suffering and building healthier communities. Acts of violence will never weaken our resolve.”
CNN’s Meg Tirrell, Brenda Goodman and Jason Morris contributed to this report.
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