CDC Shooter Scouted Atlanta Campus Two Days Before Deadly Attack

The gunman who opened fire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Atlanta headquarters earlier this month likely tried to enter the campus two days before the attack, according to an internal email sent to staff and reviewed by STAT. Security footage from Aug. 6 appears to show Patrick Joseph White attempting to access the visitor center before being turned away at the first guard station, CDC security chief Jeff Williams wrote, adding that the incident is viewed as reconnaissance for the subsequent assault. White returned on Aug. 8 and fired hundreds of rounds from across the street, striking at least four CDC buildings and killing Atlanta police officer David Rose before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot. Blast-resistant glass prevented injuries to CDC personnel, and the campus was locked down for several hours while law-enforcement cleared the scene. The revelation has prompted the CDC to add guards and review security procedures across its facilities. The shooting, attributed by agency officials to White’s anger over Covid-19 vaccines and possible mental illness, is an early test for new CDC Director Susan Monarez and for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has distanced himself from past anti-vaccine rhetoric. More than 750 current and former Health and Human Services staff have signed an open letter urging Kennedy to curb language that could endanger public-health workers.