The Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced on Tuesday that the man who killed a police officer last week by opening fire at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offices had committed himself.
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According to authorities, the gunman, Patrick Joseph White, 30, “died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound,” said Chris Hosey, head of the bureau, during a press conference on Tuesday.
“Evidence in this event indicates that the shooter had recently verbalized thoughts of suicide, which even led to law enforcement being contacted several weeks prior to the incident,” Hosey stated, surrounded by other government authorities.
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Hosey went on to say that officials found five firearms and “over 500 shell casings” at the scene, and that White fired almost 200 rounds of ammunition at the headquarters.
White’s father owned the five firearms, which were safely kept before the shooter “forced his way into” the safe, Hosey continued.
He added that “written documentation that expressed the shooter’s discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations” had been found in White’s house by the authorities.
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White’s neighbor earlier told NBC News that White had repeatedly spoken anti-vaccine views to her. Additionally, it was previously stated that White attributed his suicidal thoughts and depression to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The only person killed in the shooting was DeKalb County Police Department responding officer David Rose. In March, Rose, a 33-year-old father of two, received his diploma from the department’s police academy. The shooting did not injure any civilians.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, paid a visit to the CDC headquarters in Atlanta on Monday. Kennedy claimed that during his visit, he had a private meeting with Rose’s wife, inspected the building’s damage, and spoke with local police.
Former CDC staff members who were let go in recent months because to widespread government employment cuts have chastised Kennedy, a lifelong vaccination skeptic who has criticized the Covid-19 immunizations, in recent days.
According to a statement released last week by Fired But Fighting, a group that bills itself as “a coalition of fired HHS employees and allies,” he “is directly responsible for the villainization of 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 declared. “We require an administration that does not demonize federal employees who are merely attempting to carry out their duties. A Health and Human Services secretary who does not spread false information on science and vaccines is what we need.
A string of high-profile shootings throughout the nation in recent weeks preceded the shooting at the CDC offices.
Three people and a police officer were killed by a shooter who entered a high-rise office building in midtown Manhattan two weeks ago before taking his own life. Five service men were wounded when an active-duty soldier shot up Fort Stewart in Georgia two days prior to the incident at the CDC headquarters. Additionally, three people—including a child—were slain on Monday outside an Austin Target store.
The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached by calling 988 if you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis. For further resources, visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources, text HOME to 741741, or contact the network (formerly the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) at 800-273-8255.
