Suspect named in fatal shooting near Atlanta’s CDC as agency holds call with staff

30-year-old Patrick Joseph White of Kennesaw, Georgia, has been identified as the suspected gunman who opened fire outside the CDC buildings. Photo / Getty Images

Investigators have identified 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White of Kennesaw, Georgia, as the suspected gunman who opened fire outside the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention buildings in Atlanta, killing one police officer and striking several CDC buildings. The shooting prompted a call this morning between the new CDC director and some staff about campus safety.

Investigators said White was found on the second floor of a CVS drugstore at Emory Point, an apartment and retail complex. He died at the scene. White had been struck by gunfire, but authorities said it was unclear whether it was from officers or self-inflicted.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said DeKalb County police officer David Rose, 33, was shot and killed during the incident. No civilians were shot. DeKalb County interim police chief Greg Padrick said Rose “gave his life with a commitment to serve others”. He is survived by his wife and two children, with another baby expected soon.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said today that the agency is “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 in a statement posted on X. “Public health workers show up every day with purpose – even in moments of grief and uncertainty.”

CDC director Susan Monarez held a call today with one CDC centre, the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD), according to a CDC employee who listened to the call and another employee who was briefed by colleagues. Most of NCIRD staff work in Building 24, one of the buildings hit by the gunman.

Monarez did not provide any additional information about the suspect’s motives, said the employee who listened to the call. “Just referenced what’s in the news,” the employee said in a text message.

“They emphasised that they want campus to feel safe before we come back but I don’t know how that would happen,” said the employee, who works at that centre and spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

The nearby Emory University sent out an alert at 5.01pm yesterday (local time) urging people to “RUN, HIDE, FIGHT”. The CDC sent out their alert via email and text at 5.12pm, according to a CDC employee who was in lockdown in one of the buildings hit.

Monarez, who started in her job this week, has an office on the 12th floor of Building 21, which had been shot at. Monarez was not on campus at the time of the shooting – she had already left earlier in the afternoon to return to DC, two agency officials said.

Windows were shot on various floors of CDC buildings, officials said. The complex is adjacent to Emory University’s Atlanta campus and directly opposite the CDC’s Roybal Campus, which houses its national headquarters.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said it was too soon to tell whether the agency had been targeted. He said the shooter “is a known person that may have some interest in certain things that I can’t reiterate right now with any confidence until the investigation is fully conducted”.

“But I think that in a short order you’ll know more about this individual and about some assumptions of his motives, but can’t say right now,” Dickens told reporters.

Police said they received a call about the shooting around 4.50pm. At least 25 shots could be heard in the area, according to video shared with the Washington Post by a CDC employee.

Rapid-fire shots were heard near the CDC around 4.55pm, according to an employee who was on the 12th floor of Building 24, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly. Initially, they said, some people thought the shots were noise from construction.

The building was put on lockdown moments later, prompting the employee and their colleagues to lock the door and push chairs in front of the entrance. “We were all kind of in shock,” the employee said.

In a statement, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp praised first responders while decrying that “deranged criminals” had targeted Georgians in two incidents within a week. A US Army soldier allegedly shot five fellow service members on Thursday at Fort Stewart.

“Marty, the girls, and I are thankful for all those who answer the call to serve and who protect their fellow Georgians,” Kemp said, referring to his wife and their children. “We ask that you join us in holding them in our prayers, along with those harmed this evening near the CDC Center.”

The GBI, which is leading the investigation into the shooting, said it is coordinating with ATF, FBI and local police.