ReutersA man who fired hundreds of rounds of ammunition at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters last week had expressed distrust of the Covid-19 vaccine, investigators say.
Police officer David Rose, 33, who graduated from the police academy in March, died in hospital after he was wounded. No civilians were injured in the 8 August shooting in Atlanta, Georgia.
Authorities say he was shot by Patrick Joseph White, 30, who died from “a self-inflicted gunshot wound”.
The CDC tracks illness outbreaks in the US and touted vaccinations during the pandemic – a position that has been heavily criticised by vaccine sceptics.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Georgia Bureau of Investigations Director Chris Hosey said 500 shell casings were recovered from the scene, while its believed 200 rounds hit six buildings in the CDC complex. Five firearms were also recovered, he said.
The gunman had also “verbalised thoughts of suicide” before the shooting, Hosey said, adding that investigators had uncovered written evidence of his discontent with Covid-19 vaccines. He reportedly blamed the vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal.
DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was fatally shot when he responded to reports of an active shooter at the CDC precinct shortly before 17:00 local time on Friday. Rose, a former Marine who had served in Afghanistan, died in hospital after he was wounded.
No employees or civilians were hurt and rounds fired by police officers did not strike the the gunman, Hosey said.
ReutersFBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said federal Swat teams cleared the CDC campus after the shooting to ensure no victims were inside. A nearby daycare was evacuated and the children there were safely reunited with their families.
Authorities said the shooter broke into a safe at his family home to access firearms. The weapons belonged to his father and were secured, but White was able force his way into the safe. Hosey said the gunman’s family has fully cooperated with their investigation.
On Monday, US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr visited the CDC’s Atlanta campus and met privately with the deceased officer’s widow.
Kennedy offered his deepest condolences and “reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to honoring Officer Rose’s bravery, sacrifice, and service to the nation”, HHS said Monday.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic shooting at CDC’s Atlanta campus that took the life of officer David Rose,” Kennedy wrote Friday on X. “We stand with his wife and three children and the entire CDC family.”
