Latest news with #PatrickWhite
Washington Post
12-08-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
After CDC shooting, its employees turn their anger to RFK Jr. and Trump
KENNESAW, Georgia — A gaunt Patrick White approached his neighbor on her porch last year to deliver a warning, she recalled. Coronavirus vaccines harmed him and others. Authorities were covering this up. On Friday afternoon, he fired scores of bullets at the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, officials allege, forcing hundreds of workers into lockdown as gunfire bombarded windows around them. White and a responding police office — a father of two with a third on the way — died. Investigators say White targeted the public health agency because of his beliefs about coronavirus vaccines, according to two CDC officials briefed on the case, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Though law enforcement has not officially announced a motive behind the attack, for many in public health, the shooting seemed to vindicate their long-running fears that the backlash to their work during the coronavirus pandemic could turn deadly. Some left the field after a vitriolic response to mandates for masking and vaccination. Armed protesters gathered outside the homes of health officials. Some health officials faced death threats, including Anthony S. Fauci, one of the leaders of the federal coronavirus response. Days after the shooting, the initial shock has morphed into anger for many CDC employees, according to interviews with more than a dozen of them, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. They fault President Donald Trump for not publicly condemning the shooting, even as he invoked the assault of a former U.S. DOGE Service staffer to deploy troops in D.C. and take over its police department. They said they are fed up with how they and their work are being derided and impugned by conservatives and anti-vaccine activists, including the one who rose to lead the nation's public health apparatus: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Before joining the government, Kennedy falsely called the coronavirus vaccine the 'deadliest vaccine ever made' and said it contained a 'poison.' During his unsuccessful presidential campaign last year, Kennedy posted on X: 'As President, I will clean up the cesspool of corruption at CDC and force the public health agencies to come clean about Covid vaccines. I'll hold responsible those who lied or concealed critical health information …' Now the nation's top health official, Kennedy has moved to limit the use of coronavirus vaccines, fired the CDC's vaccine advisers and last week canceled research into the mRNA technology that made those vaccines' rapid development possible, citing misleading or false claims. In response to the shooting, Kennedy offered condolences in written statements. 'No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,' he posted Saturday on X. On Monday, he ordered flags at HHS buildings to fly at half-staff to honor the slain officer and visited the Atlanta headquarters, where several buildings were still pocked with bullet holes. A dozen current and former employees stood across the street protesting his arrival, pelted by light rainfall as they held up signs condemning him and praising their agency's work. 'I have never worked on anything nefarious. We are public servants,' said Lauren Owens, a CDC scientist who joined the protest during her lunch break, holding a sign that read, 'RFK Jr's lies about vax safety + CDC scientists endanger us ALL.' In all, 181 rounds were fired at the campus, nearly half concentrated on a building housing administrative offices and the CDC director's office, three senior CDC officials told The Washington Post. Broken glass littered some floors. Bullets struck 150 windows, which were built to resist bomb implosion or pressure but not ammunition, an agency official said. Most of the windows at the security station at the main entrance to the CDC were also struck. For some, the assault on the CDC came as no surprise. 'There is a direct line from the vilification of CDC during Covid and the deliberate lies and mis/disinformation that continues today,' a veteran CDC official who was not on campus during the shooting said in a text message. 'Many of the sources of these lies now have a pulpit and the veneer of respectability through their positions in the administration.' It is unclear what influenced the accused gunman's views on coronavirus vaccines, whether he had ever been exposed to Kennedy's messaging or whether unrelated factors played into the shooting. Still, the frustrated CDC employees said the shooting should have been a wake-up call to Kennedy to disavow his previous rhetoric about the agency. 'Secretary Kennedy remains committed to reforming our health agencies so that they are more transparent, more accountable, and ultimately more trusted by the American people and the public servants working for them,' Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesman, said in a statement. 'That mission will continue with zero tolerance for violence in any form.' The fraught environment for public health is why one CDC scientist whose work involves vaccines chose not to enroll her toddler in a day care near the campus, despite its convenient location and hours. Her fears were validated Friday afternoon as she felt something whiz by her right shoulder as she walked out of the building where staff work on respiratory diseases. The crisp staccato of the pops made her realize it was bullets. The gunman was firing over the roof of the day care facility, according to CDC employees. The scientist ran back into the building, hid in an office with three colleagues and barricaded the door with bookcases. A SWAT team later moved them into a conference room where about 100 employees sheltered. In conversations, some workers speculated that their vaccine work placed a target on their backs. To her frustration, Trump and the White House have yet to publicly acknowledge the deadly assault on a federal building. 'Would they have said anything if it was ICE or FBI or a more politically aligned agency? For some reason, they think it's acceptable for CDC scientists to come under fire like this,' the employee said. 'When we see that silence, it only implies complicity.' A White House spokesman did not answer questions about its lack of public statements about the shooting, but offered condolences to CDC employees and the family of the slain officer. 'The White House and HHS were in immediate coordination as this senseless tragedy unfolded, and Secretary Kennedy's visit to Atlanta today to meet with CDC staff underscores the Administration's commitment to doing everything we can to support the CDC,' spokesman Kush Desai wrote in a statement. Authorities have said little about White beyond identifying him as 30 and from Kennesaw, which is about an hour drive from Atlanta. They did not say whether he had mental health issues. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the investigation, did not comment for this article. White left a note, according to a CDC employee who attended a Saturday briefing about the shooting with senior agency leaders, but the contents were not shared. White's neighbors in a suburban community with large yards and two-story homes described him as friendly. He lived with his parents, mowed communal grass and walked dogs. A person who answered the door at White's home Sunday declined to comment, and relatives also did not return multiple calls and a note left at his home Monday. Nancy Hoalst, who recalled a nearly two-hour conversation with White on her porch about the coronavirus vaccine, said he shared his concerns as if he was proselytizing a religious belief and trying to save her from a conspiracy. He vented that no one would believe him even though he did his research. The overall skepticism of the vaccine didn't faze Hoalst. 'There are a lot of people who believe this,' Hoalst said. What made White different, she said, was how he believed he was a victim of the vaccine. He blamed the shots for his stomach problems and difficulties eating that left him very skinny and afraid for his life. Hoalst said she spoke to other neighbors who heard White express similar concerns. White told an officer in September 2024 that he was in pain and that his health had been bad ever since he got a coronavirus vaccine, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, citing incident reports. Kennesaw is a conservative community where every household is required by law to have a firearm, according to the city's website. The community is represented in Congress by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right lawmaker who has repeatedly falsely attributed deaths and injuries to the coronavirus vaccine. Greene's office did not return a request for comment. The CDC says coronavirus vaccines are safe, effective and help prevent hospitalization and death, while saving millions of lives globally in the pandemic. But trust in the agency also eroded after the pandemic, according to polling, and uptake of annual coronavirus shots has become paltry. In a Saturday email to HHS staff addressing the shooting, Kennedy praised the CDC's work. 'This is a reminder of the very human challenges public servants sometimes face — even in places dedicated to healing and progress,' Kennedy wrote. 'But it also reinforces the importance of the work you do every day. From public health labs to data systems to community programs, your efforts matter.' The email rang hollow to some employees after the extensive cuts to the agency's staff and budget and overhaul of long-standing vaccine policy under Kennedy's leadership. 'He's constantly undermining our vaccine work,' said Anna Yousaf, a CDC physician who has researched the effects of coronavirus vaccines and spoke at a Sunday rally condemning the shooting. 'So for him to say your work is important is really just a slap in the face. There's no acknowledgment at all that he could have said less villainizing things about CDC.' On Monday, the CDC began promoting a fundraiser to benefit the family of David Rose, the 33-year-old DeKalb County police officer killed in the shooting. Kennedy visited the police department on Monday and met its chief and Rose's widow, according to HHS. In tributes to Rose, some noted he lived true to the values he espoused in a March graduation speech for his police academy class. 'From the very first day, we learned that policing isn't just about enforcing the law, it's about protecting the vulnerable, standing for justice, and being the person who runs towards danger when others run away,' Rose said. CDC employees and others have left flowers and a teddy bear at a memorial for Rose outside the entrance to the CDC headquarters. The memorial is on the same corner where an activist usually stands holding anti-vaccine signs. One CDC worker who visited the memorial Sunday said even before the shooting, she had thought about how she could fit behind filing cabinets to protect herself. She had left the office less than an hour before the shooting began. 'It just feels like this was in the making, and it was a long time coming,' she said. In the aftermath of the shooting, agency officials have advised employees to remove CDC decals from their cars. Workers are weighing whether to go even further. Some CDC employees who are also members of the U.S. Public Health Service no longer want to wear their military-style uniforms in public. A few are fearful of having their names attached to vaccine data presentations available online. One staff member may remove a 'Save the CDC' sign from her yard to protest budget cuts, worrying she is putting her family at risk. Sun reported from Washington
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
CDC staffers voice frustration over Kennedy's anti-vaccine rhetoric in wake of shooting
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staffers are voicing frustration over Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s past vaccine comments, following Friday's shooting at the agency's headquarters in Atlanta that left one police officer dead. Although the motive of the suspected shooter — Patrick White, 30, from Kennesaw, Georgia — remains unknown, he told a neighbor that he believed the Covid vaccines had made him sick, a source told NBC News on the condition of anonymity. Kennedy visited CDC's headquarters earlier Monday, where security led him through campus, pointing out shattered windows across multiple buildings, according to statement from the Department of Health and Human Services. Later, Kennedy met with the widow of the killed police officer. Employees were instructed to work remotely this week. A virtual only all-staff meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, although it isn't clear if Kennedy will be in attendance. The shooting took place near the campuses of both the CDC, which includes an on-campus day care center, and Emory University. For some employees, the shooting highlighted growing hostility toward public health officials, which they feel has been shaped by Kennedy's long history of spreading vaccine misinformation, including the Covid vaccine. In 2021, Kennedy filed a citizens' petition requesting that the Food and Drug Administration revoke the authorization of the Covid vaccines. The same year, he described the Covid shot as the 'deadliest vaccine ever made.' Just last week, Kennedy terminated 22 contracts focused on developing mRNA vaccines — the same technology used to develop Pfizer's and Moderna's Covid shots. In an announcement on X, Kennedy claimed 'mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses.' In an emailed statement, Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesperson, said Kennedy 'has unequivocally condemned the horrific attack and remains fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of CDC employees.' 'This is a time to stand in solidarity with our public health workforce,' Nixon said, 'not a moment for the media to exploit a tragedy for political gain.' Kennedy has not yet spoken publicly about vaccine misinformation that may have contributed to the shooting. Numerous studies have shown that the Covid vaccines are safe and effective. 'There's a lot of misinformation, a lot of really dangerous rhetoric that's currently being spread by the current administration, that makes us seem like villains, that makes us seem like our work is setting out to hurt people,' CDC employee Elizabeth Soda said in an interview. 'So it's not at all surprising, right, that people are going to listen to our leaders.' A 'scapegoat' Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, said the Covid vaccine has become an easy scapegoat — a symbol of all the losses the pandemic inflicted on people, including loss of life, physical and mental health and personal freedoms. 'The vaccine is something you could focus on, instead of a general feeling of loss,' he said. Even before the shooting at the CDC, there were multiple threats against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other public-health experts. Chin-Hong said he received multiple threatening emails a day at the peak of the pandemic. These days, he gets emails 'full of hate' about once a week. Usually, he reads the first line and then deletes them. Still, he feels personally unsafe often because he gives public talks about vaccines, he said. As a public health expert, he thinks of that as a duty. The CDC shooting heightened those fears. 'The CDC incident really makes me feel more personally at risk,' he said. In employee group chats, staffers are also voicing frustration with Kennedy. 'People feel like this is a natural progression when you spend years denigrating science and public health, spread misinformation about vaccines and publicly attack federal workers,' said one CDC employee who was granted anonymity for fear of repercussions. 'Folks, myself included, are pissed off,' the source added. An employee at the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, said it's not lost on them that Kennedy 'has demonized our work.' In an email obtained by NBC News, Kennedy told CDC staff on Saturday that he was praying for the entire agency, adding that the shooting was 'deeply unsettling,' especially for those working in Atlanta. 'We want everyone to know, you're not alone,' Kennedy wrote. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Suspected gunman in CDC shooting had grievance toward Covid vaccine: Sources
The man suspected of opening fire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's sprawling campus late Friday had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him sick and depressed, according to information gathered by law enforcement and sources close to the suspect. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials caution that the information is preliminary at this time. Patrick White is believed to have struggled with his mental health, according to that information. As he grappled with those issues, sources said, White had become increasingly fixated on the COVID-19 vaccine as a source of his grievances. Several Kennesaw residents who knew the 30-year-old suspected shooter told ABC News they had heard White express similar angry and conspiracy-minded sentiments. MORE: Officer killed, suspect identified in shooting near CDC headquarters, Emory University campus One neighbor, who asked not to be named, said White would sit on her porch for long stretches, often complaining that after he got the COVID-19 shot, he had lost a lot of weight, developed problems swallowing and gastrointestinal issues. And, the neighbor said he believed the media and government weren't covering it. "He thought the vaccines were killing him and that people needed to know the truth," the neighbor said, adding that she didn't agree with him, but would listen. White's father declined to comment on his son when reached by ABC News. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the probe, declined to comment on a potential motive. Infectious disease experts maintain that mRNA vaccines like those used against COVID-19 have been studied for decades and that the shots were instrumental in saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC. Though the COVID-19 vaccines have been highly politicized and subject to a deluge of mis and disinformation, experts say they are safe and effective. Long-term adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines are generally very rare, according to the CDC. All CDC employees nationwide, except for essential on-site personnel, have been instructed to work remotely on Monday as Georgia investigators continue probing Friday's deadly active shooter incident near the agency's Atlanta headquarters, according to a letter obtained by ABC News. MORE: 1 dead, 5 wounded, including 5-year-old girl, in Baltimore 'mass shooting': Police In the letter, CDC leadership told the agency's more than 10,000 employees that both federal and local law enforcement are conducting "intensive monitoring of all potential threats to CDC and its staff, current and past" to ensure their safety. Investigators have yet to reveal the motive behind Friday's shooting, but the CDC leadership said in the email, "What we know about the incident is that this was a targeted attack on CDC related to COVID." DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was fatally shot after responding to the reported gunfire. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead, officials said at a press conference Friday evening. During the shooting, the suspect fired multiple rounds at CDC buildings, breaking windows, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a press conference. In the aftermath of the shooting, four other people were transported to an area hospital for stress and anxiety-related reasons, the police chief said.
10-08-2025
- Health
Suspected gunman in CDC shooting had grievance toward Covid vaccine: Sources
The man suspected of opening fire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's sprawling campus late Friday had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him sick and depressed, according to information gathered by law enforcement and sources close to the suspect. The investigation remains ongoing, and officials caution that the information is preliminary at this time. Patrick White is believed to have struggled with his mental health, according to that information. As he grappled with those issues, sources said, White had become increasingly fixated on the COVID-19 vaccine as a source of his grievances. Several Kennesaw residents who knew the 30-year-old suspected shooter told ABC News they had heard White express similar angry and conspiracy-minded sentiments. One neighbor, who asked not to be named, said White would sit on her porch for long stretches, often complaining that after he got the COVID-19 shot, he had lost a lot of weight, developed problems swallowing and gastrointestinal issues. And, the neighbor said he believed the media and government weren't covering it. "He thought the vaccines were killing him and that people needed to know the truth," the neighbor said, adding that she didn't agree with him, but would listen. White's father declined to comment on his son when reached by ABC News. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is leading the probe, declined to comment on a potential motive. Infectious disease experts maintain that mRNA vaccines like those used against COVID-19 have been studied for decades and that the shots were instrumental in saving lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC. Though the COVID-19 vaccines have been highly politicized and subject to a deluge of mis and disinformation, experts say they are safe and effective. Long-term adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines are generally very rare, according to the CDC. All CDC employees nationwide, except for essential on-site personnel, have been instructed to work remotely on Monday as Georgia investigators continue probing Friday's deadly active shooter incident near the agency's Atlanta headquarters, according to a letter obtained by ABC News. In the letter, CDC leadership told the agency's more than 10,000 employees that both federal and local law enforcement are conducting "intensive monitoring of all potential threats to CDC and its staff, current and past" to ensure their safety. Investigators have yet to reveal the motive behind Friday's shooting, but the CDC leadership said in the email, "What we know about the incident is that this was a targeted attack on CDC related to COVID." DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was fatally shot after responding to the reported gunfire. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead, officials said at a press conference Friday evening. During the shooting, the suspect fired multiple rounds at CDC buildings, breaking windows, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a press conference. In the aftermath of the shooting, four other people were transported to an area hospital for stress and anxiety-related reasons, the police chief said.
Time of India
09-08-2025
- Time of India
CDC Atlanta shooter Patrick White was against vaccine, neighbor says he was looking thinner recently
Police have not released any photo of CDC shooting suspect Patrick Joseph White. 30-year-old Patrick White, identified as the suspect in the shooting outside Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) building in Atlanta, was an anti-vaxxer, neighbors said. One neighbor said he looked visibly slimmer recently. Another said White was 'pleasant' and never talked about politics but everyone was aware that he was against vaccine. White helped neighbors in yards and walked their dogs, they said, according to local reports. White opened fire outside the building and then entered into a CVS located on the Emory University campus around 4.50 pm Friday. Deklab County police officer David Rose was shot and killed as he responded to reports of an active shooter. It is not confirmed whether White died from police gunfire or a self-inflicted wound. Patrick White blamed Covid-19 vaccine for illness Law enforcement sources told CNN the shooter likely targeted the CDC after he became sick with an apparent illness he blamed on the COVID-19 vaccine, according to police interviews with the suspect's family Friday. Police have not released any photo of White and his full background, family details are not yet revealed. The weapon used remains unidentified, though witnesses reported rapid gunfire consistent with a semiautomatic firearm. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Batu Layar: Unsold Sofas Prices May Surprise You (Prices May Surprise You) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo It was probably a long gun and the authorities recovered three other firearms at the scene. Law enforcement officials said the shooter had four different weapons — two hand guns, one rifle and one shotgun — and was wearing what looked to be a surgical mask. No civilians were shot, and 92 children at a CDC campus daycare were confirmed safe. "There is extensive evidence to collect due to the complex scene. Numerous interviews are being conducted. This investigation will take an extended period of time," the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. Though the shooting ended at the CVS, bullets from his gun hit at least four buildings that are part of the CDC headquarters.
