Latest news with #ChrisHosey
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Yahoo
CDC Atlanta shooting: Photo of accused CDC shooter released by GBI
The Brief According to GBI, Patrick Joseph White fired 500 shots with nearly 200 hitting buildings at the CDC. Documents have been found referencing COVID-19 vaccine. Guns belonged to father and were secured, but White was able to take them. DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation revealed new details during a press conference on Tuesday morning about the shooting last Friday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's headquarters in Atlanta. What they're saying GBI Director Chris Hosey confirmed that 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White had no known criminal history but had recently expressed suicidal thoughts, leading to police contact several weeks before the shooting. The GBI says 500 shots were fired and about 200 rounds struck six CDC buildings, though no employees were hurt. Written documents expressing White's distrust of COVID-19 vaccines, which investigators described as a personal statement rather than a direct threat, were discovered during the investigation. Authorities say White broke into a safe at his family's home to access firearms — a mix of rifles, a shotgun and possibly a handgun — that belonged to his father. Most of the shell casings recovered came from a long gun. White reportedly died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The GBI confirmed DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was shot and killed while responding to the incident. "He served with honor, courage, and unwavering dedication," Hosey said. "His sacrifice will never be forgotten." FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said federal SWAT teams cleared the CDC campus room by room after the shooting to ensure no victims were inside. A nearby daycare was evacuated, and all children were safely reunited with their families. Five firearms, electronic devices, and video evidence have been recovered so far. The FBI and GBI are asking anyone with additional footage or information to contact the tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS or use the "See Something, Send Something" app. Officials also said they have not seen an increase in threats against the CDC since the shooting but remain in close contact with CDC security to share any intelligence. Hosey and Brown were joined by Interim Police Chief Gregory Padrick from DeKalb County Police Department; Assistant Chief Carven Tyus from Atlanta Police Department; Chief Burt Buchtinec from Emory University Police Department and others. WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE Dig deeper FOX 5 Atlanta also obtained a 911 call made by Patrick White's father to Cobb County. In the call, White's father tells the 911 dispatcher that he is afraid that his son may have been involved in the shooting. He also says that he had called DeKalb's 911 number three times and left detailed messages, but no one had called him back He finally reached out to Cobb in hopes of speaking to a detective who had helped the family previously. Records from Cobb County 911 show that White's address was mentioned in 11 different calls between June 2024 and the day of the shooting: One was the call about him possibly being the shooter. Three were medical calls for ambulances only. Three were related to White being suicidal. Two were for admin details, which FOX 5 has asked for clarification on. One call was for a theft and was responded to by the sheriff's office. One was for a domestic disturbance. What we know DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was killed when he responded to reports of an active shooter at the CDC shortly before 5 p.m. Aug. 8. Authorities later identified the accused shooter as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White of Kennesaw, who blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal. White died during the incident, though officials have not said whether he was killed by police or took his own life. The attack left the CDC campus scarred and staff shaken, prompting calls from the agency's union for stronger security measures. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited CDC's Roybal campus on Monday. He also reportedly visited the wife of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, who was killed when he responded to reports of the shooting. MOST RECENT STORIES CDC shooting: 150 windows pierced by bullets, employees fear recognition Suspected CDC shooter previously reported to police for suicide attempts CDC shooting latest: Official said suspect's father called police HHS Secretary Kennedy visits Atlanta CDC after last week's shooting CDC shooting: Supporting Officer Rose's family, CDC employee demands
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Gunman who attacked CDC aimed to send message against COVID-19 vaccine
A man who opened fire at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) apparently wanted to send a message against the COVID vaccines, according to authorities in the United States. The update on Tuesday came just days after Patrick Joseph White, 30, attacked the government health facility in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 8. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said that documents found at White's home 'expressed the shooter's discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations' and that he wanted to make 'the public aware of his discontent with the vaccine'. Hosey added that White had recently expressed thoughts of suicide, with a neighbour telling local media he had claimed his depression was connected to the vaccine. According to investigators, White died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the day of the attack. He fired more than 180 shots with a long gun, fatally shooting a police officer at the scene. Since the shooting, critics have slammed President Donald Trump and his allies for creating an environment that fuels vaccine scepticism and misinformation. 'This tragedy was not random and it compounds months of mistreatment, neglect, and vilification that CDC staff have endured,' a union representing CDC employees, AFGE Local 2883, said in a statement on Monday. It called on the administration to take a 'clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine disinformation'. 'Their leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails,' the union said. A track record of misinformation Trump was in the final full year of his first term in 2020, when COVID-19 started to spread in the US. More than 1.2 million Americans died as a result of the pandemic. But a study from Cornell University in 2021 found that nearly 38 percent of the 'misinformation conversation' surrounding COVID-19 involved Trump. At the time, one of the study's authors told The New York Times that the president was the 'single largest driver of misinformation' about COVID-19. Trump repeatedly promoted unproven treatments like hydroxychloroquine as alternatives to vaccination during the pandemic. He also downplayed the pandemic's risks, saying in February 2020: 'I think it's going to work out fine.' Since January, in the opening months of his second term, critics have accused Trump of continuing to sow doubt in vaccination and medical research. They point to his nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent vaccine sceptic, as leader of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the CDC. Recently, Kennedy cancelled hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for research into mRNA vaccines, a medical breakthrough credited with helping to end the COVID pandemic. Experts say the funding cut will hamper the development of an emerging technology that could be used to combat other pathogens. But Kennedy suggested the vaccines 'fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu', a claim not supported by research. 'A climate of hostility' On Monday, Kennedy visited the CDC in Atlanta as well as the DeKalb County Police Department. He later met privately the wife of the police officer killed in the attack, 33-year-old David Rose. 'No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,' Kennedy said in a statement Saturday, adding that federal health officials are 'actively supporting CDC staff'. Investigators said they had recovered five firearms related to the attack, with more than 500 shell casings recovered from the crime scene. The shooting broke about 150 windows across the CDC campus, with bullets piercing 'blast-resistant' windows as workers remained pinned inside. Fired But Fighting, a group of laid-off CDC employees, said Kennedy was responsible for villainising the CDC's workforce through 'his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust'. 'We don't need thoughts and prayers,' the group wrote on its website. 'We need an administration that does not villainize federal workers who are just trying to do their job. We need a Health and Human Services Secretary who does not promote misinformation about science and vaccines.' It called for Kennedy's resignation, as well as the departure of Russell Vought, an administration official who previously said he wanted federal workers to feel 'trauma' about going to work.
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Gunman who attacked CDC aimed to send message against COVID vaccine: Police
A man who opened fire at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) apparently wanted to send a message against the COVID vaccines, according to authorities in the United States. The update on Tuesday came just days after Patrick Joseph White, 30, attacked the government health facility in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 8. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said that documents found at White's home 'expressed the shooter's discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations' and that he wanted to make 'the public aware of his discontent with the vaccine'. Hosey added that White had recently expressed thoughts of suicide, with a neighbour telling local media he had claimed his depression was connected to the vaccine. According to investigators, White died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the day of the attack. He fired more than 180 shots with a long gun, fatally shooting a police officer at the scene. Since the shooting, critics have slammed President Donald Trump and his allies for creating an environment that fuels vaccine scepticism and misinformation. 'This tragedy was not random and it compounds months of mistreatment, neglect, and vilification that CDC staff have endured,' a union representing CDC employees, AFGE Local 2883, said in a statement on Monday. It called on the administration to take a 'clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine disinformation'. 'Their leadership is critical in reinforcing public trust and ensuring that accurate, science-based information prevails,' the union said. A track record of misinformation Trump was in the final full year of his first term in 2020, when COVID-19 started to spread in the US. More than 1.2 million Americans died as a result of the pandemic. But a study from Cornell University in 2021 found that nearly 38 percent of the 'misinformation conversation' surrounding COVID-19 involved Trump. At the time, one of the study's authors told The New York Times that the president was the 'single largest driver of misinformation' about COVID-19. Trump repeatedly promoted unproven treatments like hydroxychloroquine as alternatives to vaccination during the pandemic. He also downplayed the pandemic's risks, saying in February 2020: 'I think it's going to work out fine.' Since January, in the opening months of his second term, critics have accused Trump of continuing to sow doubt in vaccination and medical research. They point to his nomination of Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent vaccine sceptic, as leader of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the CDC. Recently, Kennedy cancelled hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for research into mRNA vaccines, a medical breakthrough credited with helping to end the COVID pandemic. Experts say the funding cut will hamper the development of an emerging technology that could be used to combat other pathogens. But Kennedy suggested the vaccines 'fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu', a claim not supported by research. 'A climate of hostility' On Monday, Kennedy visited the CDC in Atlanta as well as the DeKalb County Police Department. He later met privately the wife of the police officer killed in the attack, 33-year-old David Rose. 'No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,' Kennedy said in a statement Saturday, adding that federal health officials are 'actively supporting CDC staff'. Investigators said they had recovered five firearms related to the attack, with more than 500 shell casings recovered from the crime scene. The shooting broke about 150 windows across the CDC campus, with bullets piercing 'blast-resistant' windows as workers remained pinned inside. Fired But Fighting, a group of laid-off CDC employees, said Kennedy was responsible for villainising the CDC's workforce through 'his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust'. 'We don't need thoughts and prayers,' the group wrote on its website. 'We need an administration that does not villainize federal workers who are just trying to do their job. We need a Health and Human Services Secretary who does not promote misinformation about science and vaccines.' It called for Kennedy's resignation, as well as the departure of Russell Vought, an administration official who previously said he wanted federal workers to feel 'trauma' about going to work.
Washington Post
7 days ago
- Washington Post
Shooter attacked CDC headquarters to protest COVID-19 vaccines
ATLANTA — The man who fired more than 180 shots with a long gun at the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broke into a locked safe to get his father's weapons and wanted to send a message against COVID-19 vaccines, authorities said Tuesday. Documents found in a search of the home where Patrick Joseph White lived with his parents 'expressed the shooter's discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations,' Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said.
BreakingNews.ie
7 days ago
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Gunman attacked CDC headquarters to protest against Covid-19 vaccines
The man who fired more than 180 shots at the headquarters of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention broke into a locked safe to get his father's weapons and wanted to send a message against Covid-19 vaccines, authorities in the US said. Documents found in a search of the home where Patrick Joseph White lived with his parents 'expressed the shooter's discontent with the Covid-19 vaccinations', Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) director Chris Hosey said. Advertisement White, 30, had written about wanting to make 'the public aware of his discontent with the vaccine', Mr Hosey said. White had also recently verbalised thoughts of suicide, which led to law enforcement being contacted several weeks before the shooting, Mr Hosey added. Georgia Bureau of Investigation director Chris Hosey said White had no known criminal history (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) He died at the scene on Friday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after killing a police officer. Asked about threats based on misinformation regarding the CDC and its vaccine work, FBI special agent Paul Brown said on Tuesday: 'We've not seen an uptick, although any rhetoric that suggests or leads to violence is something we take very seriously.' Advertisement 'Although we are tracking it, we are sensitive to it, we have not seen that uptick,' Mr Brown, who leads the FBI's Atlanta division, said. The suspect's family was fully co-operating with the investigation, authorities said at a news briefing on Tuesday. White had no known criminal history, Mr Hosey added. Bullet marks on the windows of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) Executing a search warrant at the family's home in the Atlanta suburb of Kennesaw, authorities recovered written documents that were being analysed, and seized electronic devices that were undergoing a forensic examination, the agency said. Advertisement Investigators also recovered a total of five firearms, including a gun that belonged to his father that he used in the attack, Mr Hosey said. Mr Hosey said the suspect did not have a key to the gun safe: 'He (White) broke into it.' White had been stopped by CDC security guards before driving to a pharmacy across the street, where he opened fire from a pavement, authorities said. The bullets pierced 'blast-resistant' windows across the campus, pinning employees down during the barrage. Advertisement Swat team members walk inside the scene of the shooting (Ben Hendren/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP/PA) More than 500 shell casings were recovered from the crime scene, the GBI said. In the aftermath, officials at the CDC were assessing the security of the campus and notifying officials of any new threats. US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr toured the CDC campus on Monday, accompanied by deputy secretary Jim O'Neill and CDC director Susan Monarez, according to a health agency statement. 'No-one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,' Mr Kennedy said in a statement on Saturday. Advertisement It said top federal health officials were 'actively supporting CDC staff'. Mr Kennedy also visited the DeKalb County Police Department, and later met privately with the wife of the officer who was killed. US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr was a leader in a national anti-vaccine movement before Donald Trump selected him to oversee federal health agencies (Mark Thiessen/AP) A photo of the suspect would be be released later on Tuesday, Mr Hosey said, but he encouraged the public to remember the face of the officer instead. Mr Kennedy was a leader in a national anti-vaccine movement before US president Donald Trump selected him to oversee federal health agencies, and has made false and misleading statements about the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 jabs and other vaccines. Some unionised CDC employees called for more protections. Meanwhile, some employees who recently left the agency as the Trump administration pursues widespread layoffs laid the blame squarely at Mr Kennedy's door. Years of false rhetoric about vaccines and public health was bound to 'take a toll on people's mental health', and 'leads to violence', Tim Young, a CDC employee who retired in April, said.
