CDC headquarters shooter obsessed with COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theory in his 30s

On the 8th (local time), a shooting occurred in front of the main building of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta and a nearby pharmacy.

According to local media such as the New York Times, the criminal was stopped by guards while trying to enter the CDC building at around 5 p.m. on the day of the incident, and then moved to a pharmacy across the street and fired consecutively at the CDC headquarters building. Several firearms, including rifles, and a large amount of ammunition were found at the scene. The gunman was Patrick Joseph White, 30, from near Atlanta, who was found dead from a gunshot wound at the scene. It is not yet clear whether the cause of death was a police shooting or suicide.

David Rose, 33, a police officer who was dispatched to the scene at the time, was killed during the shooting, and no other civilian damage occurred.

U.S. media, including CNN, reported that White strongly believes that the COVID-19 vaccine has sickened him and has been obsessed with related conspiracy theories. Based on interviews with family members, the situation at the scene, and the claims he usually spread, the police believe that the criminal blamed his health problems on the COVID-19 vaccine and targeted the CDC. White recently sought help with mental health issues, and his father told police his son suffered from suicidal thoughts. Investigators believe that the suspect’s psychological changes are related to his obsession with vaccine conspiracy theories, and are continuing to investigate additional motives and related figures.

Amid heightened anxiety among CDC workers, Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. mourned the dead police officer in an email to health officials on the 9th and `knows how much impact colleagues in public health will have felt. Those who protect the public’s health should not face such violence.”

However, critics say that the government’s leadership, including Secretary Kennedy, is not lightly responsible for fueling the spread of conspiracy theories by expressing strong distrust of vaccines. Kennedy, who has expressed strong distrust of vaccinations, especially COVID-19 vaccines, has canceled his contract to develop a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine after excluding healthy children and pregnant women from the COVID-19 vaccination recommendation. For this reason, many point out that the incident symbolically showed that vaccine-related misinformation and conspiracy theories can lead to violence. .

A group of former employees fired from the CDC, `Fired Friends Fighting,’ said that `Kennedy is the one directly responsible for demonizing CDC employees while laying out endless lies about science and the safety of vaccines.’ He encouraged `hostility and distrust of vaccines and the CDC” also issued a statement.