The man who opened fire on the Centers for Disease Control headquarters in Georgia last Friday, killing one police officer, was allegedly motivated by “discontent” with COVID-19 vaccines, authorities announced on Tuesday, August 12.
According to the Associated Press, officials at a news conference held by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation stated that the shooter, Patrick Joseph White, expressed “discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations” in documents discovered at the home he shared with his parents.
According to documents discovered after authorities searched the home, White, 30, wanted to make “the public aware of his discontent with the vaccine,” according to GBI Director Chris Hosey. White used one of his father’s guns in the attack, according to Hosey, who claims the shooter “broke into” a safe where his father kept the weapon.
White was stopped by CDC security guards on August 8 as he attempted to drive into the campus, which is also near Emory University. He then drove across the street to a CVS, according to the AP, and opened fire on the CDC building from there.
Authorities said Tuesday that investigators found at least 500 shell casings at the scene, estimating that White fired more than 180 shots at the CDC headquarters with his father’s long gun. White shot and killed himself before officers could arrive.
Hosey stated that White’s parents have been cooperating with authorities since Friday, as they investigate the couple’s deceased son.
PEOPLE previously reported that David Rose, a Dekalb County Police officer, was killed in the shooting. Rose, 33, was a father of two and expecting another child with his pregnant wife, Dekalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson announced over the weekend.
“This evening, a wife is without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, who do not have a father. Cochran-Johnson told CNN that there is a mother and father, as well as siblings, who are also affected by this traumatic loss.
No civilians were injured.
