August 11, 2025
3 min read
Key takeaways:
- A man opened fire on the CDC’s Atlanta campus Friday evening, striking at least four buildings.
- Agency employees were given the option to work from home on Monday, HHS said.
CDC employees were given the option to work from home on Monday following the shooting that targeted the agency’s headquarters in Atlanta on Friday evening, HHS confirmed to Healio.
HHS did not answer a question about whether security at the CDC’s Edward R. Roybal campus would be increased.
A gunman fired on buildings at the CDC’s Edward R. Roybal campus in Atlanta. Image: Gerard Gallagher/Healio
DeKalb County Police officer David Rose was killed, and another officer was injured, in Friday’s attack, during which bullets struck at least four CDC buildings, forcing a lockdown, according to CDC Director Susan Monarez, PhD.
One CDC scientist told The New York Times that she and three other employees moved bookcases in front of a door to barricade themselves inside an office during the shooting. The scientist, who spoke to the paper on condition of anonymity, said she used a sticky note to disable the motion sensor on the room’s light switch.
The shooter, identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as Patrick Joseph White, 30, opened fire from across the street after failing to gain entry into the headquarters, according to The Associated Press. White was found dead on the second floor of a CVS, although it is unclear whether he was killed by police or took his own life, officials said.
Monarez, who was recently confirmed by the Senate, said the agency was “heartbroken” by the attack and called Rose “courageous.”
“Our top priority is the safety and well-being of everyone at CDC,” Monarez said in a statement Friday night. “We are actively coordinating with federal, state and local partners to fully investigate the shooter and this tragic crime.”
In a statement posted to the social media network X on Saturday morning, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said HHS was “deeply saddened” by the shooting.
“We know how shaken our public health colleagues feel today. No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,” Kennedy said. “We are actively supporting CDC staff on the ground and across the agency. Public health workers show up every day with purpose — even in moments of grief and uncertainty. We honor their service. We stand with them. And we remain united in our mission to protect and improve the health of every American.”
The AP and other outlets reported that White blamed his personal health conditions on COVID-19 vaccines. A law enforcement officer told the AP that White’s father described him as “fixated” on the vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccines have been a common focus of anti-vaccine activists since they became available and have faced increased scrutiny from federal health officials since Kennedy took over HHS. Kennedy and other officials have been highly critical of messenger RNA technology, which was used in the first COVID-19 vaccines, despite overwhelming evidence that the vaccine platform is safe and effective. HHS announced last week, just three days before the shooting, that the U.S. would stop funding mRNA vaccine development.
Experts have frequently noted the harm that health-care related misinformation and disinformation has caused, and the possibility that it could lead to acts of violence.
“This incident demonstrates why it is critical that the public has accurate information about health care and understands why physicians and other health care professionals recommend the services or interventions they do, using science and scientific expertise, based on the best available evidence,” Jason M. Goldman, MD, MACP, president of the American College of Physicians, said in a statement.
References:
- Amy J, Richer AD. CDC shooter believed COVID vaccine made him suicidal, his father tells police. https://apnews.com/article/cdc-suspect-identified-georgia-officer-dead-2f8eba270597221e23d354164d5dbc0f. Updated Aug. 9, 2025. Accessed Aug. 11, 2025.
- Atlanta Police Department. Aug. 8. 2025. Facebook.
- Atlanta Police Department. News List: Active shooter incident: 1600 Clifton Rd NE. https://www.atlantapd.org/Home/Components/News/News/7365/17. Updated Aug. 8, 2025. Accessed Aug. 11, 2025.
- Cohen R, et al. What we know about the Atlanta shooting near the CDC and Emory University. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/what-we-know-atlanta-shooting-cdc-emory-university-rcna224009. Updated Aug. 9, 2025. Accessed Aug. 11, 2025.
- GBI investigates officer involved shooting in DeKalb County. https://gbi.georgia.gov/press-releases/2025-08-09/gbi-investigates-officer-involved-shooting-dekalb-county. Updated Aug. 9, 2025. Accessed Aug. 11, 2025.
- Internal medicine physicians saddened by shooting outside CDC headquarters. https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/internal-medicine-physicians-saddened-by-shooting-outside-of-cdc-headquarters. Published Aug. 11, 2025. Accessed Aug. 11, 2025.
- Mandavilli A. After years of anger directed at CDC, shooting manifests fears. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/09/us/politics/cdc-shooting-staff.html. Aug. 9, 2025.Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy). Aug. 9, 2025. X.
