Georgia Gunman Attributed Depression and Suicidal Tendencies to Covid-19 Vaccination
In a shocking turn of events on August 9, 2025, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta was the target of a shooting. Patrick Joseph White, a 30-year-old man from Kennesaw, Georgia, opened fire on the CDC campus, resulting in the death of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose and causing widespread panic[1][4][5].
White's actions were driven at least in part by a strong anti-COVID-19 vaccine conviction linked to his own health concerns and mental health struggles. According to reports, White believed that the vaccine had made him ill and caused him to experience swallowing and gastrointestinal issues. He held the media and government responsible for covering up these effects[2][4].
The shooter's fixation on the vaccine is considered a likely motive behind the shooting, although the full motive remains under official investigation[2][4]. White obtained the firearms used in the attack by breaking into his father’s locked gun safe[4][5].
The shooting left gaping bullet holes in windows across the CDC campus, and some CDC staff felt like "sitting ducks" before the incident, expressing concern about misinformation and disinformation that could lead to further targeting[7].
Rose, the deceased DeKalb County Police Officer, was a former Marine who served in Afghanistan, graduated from the police academy in March, and was respected by his colleagues. The tragic loss of Rose left a wife without a husband and three children, one unborn, without a father[6].
In the aftermath of the shooting, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voiced support for CDC employees, while a group of laid-off CDC employees, called Fired But Fighting, accused Kennedy of villainizing the CDC's workforce and called for his resignation[3][8].
Senior CDC leadership discussed a full security assessment following the shooting during a conference call[1]. The CDC's security office asked employees to scrape old CDC parking decals off their vehicles, stating that decals haven't been required for some time[9].
The shooting incident comes amidst budget cuts and layoffs at the CDC. Under Kennedy's leadership, the CDC has laid off nearly 2,000 employees, and Trump proposes cutting the agency's budget in half next year[10].
References:
- CNN
- Washington Post
- The Hill
- ABC News
- NBC News
- DeKalb County CEO
- CDC Employee Concerns
- Fired But Fighting
- CDC Parking Decals
- CDC Budget Cuts
- The shooting at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta might have been influenced by the perpetrator's strong belief that the COVID-19 vaccine was harmful to his health, placing mental health and health-and-wellness concerns at the center of the incident.
- In the realm of general news, the tragic shooting at the CDC headquarters also raised questions about crime-and-justice, particularly in relation to the shooter's access to firearms, as he obtained them by breaking into his father’s locked gun safe.
