Police identify Georgia gunman who killed a police officer and may have been targeting the CDC near Emory University
Georgia police have identified the gunman who opened fire near the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campus and Emory University on Friday, killing a police officer and striking the health agency’s buildings in a rapid volley of fire.
The suspected gunman, who is now dead, has been identified as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation revealed Saturday. A DeKalb County police officer was killed in the shooting.
Police say the gunman also fired several rounds at the CDC buildings from a CVS across the street. Several windows in the CDC building were shown with bullet holes in the aftermath.
No civilians were hurt, officials confirmed.
Here’s what we know about the suspected gunman and how Friday’s shooting unfolded:
Police identified White as the shooter on Saturday morning. The 30-year-old is from Kennesaw, Georgia, a town about 30 miles from the CDC campus in Atlanta.
The suspected gunman was found dead on the second floor of the CVS, though officials don’t know “whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Friday.
Officials have yet to reveal White’s motive, but he may have targeted the CDC because he believed he had an illness caused by the Covid-19 vaccine, a law enforcement official told CNN.
“He is a known person that may have some interests in certain things that I can’t reiterate right now with any confidence until the investigation is fully conducted,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said of the suspected gunman Friday.
DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was killed in the shooting after working in the role for nearly a year. He was a 33-year-old married father of two children, with a third on the way.
Rose was fatally shot after the gunman turned his aim away from the CDC campus and toward the officer, a law enforcement official told CNN. Rose later died at Emory University Hospital.
“Officer Rose served DeKalb County with courage, integrity, and unwavering dedication,” the DeKalb County Police Department said in a tribute.
“Even in the face of danger was he diligent in his duty to protect our community.”
Police say the gunman opened fire from inside a CVS across the street from the CDC campus on Friday afternoon. No civilians were injured.
