An Atlanta shooting that left a police officer dead may have resulted from the shooter’s skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine, according to reports about the deceased gunman’s and past comments. The shooting that endangered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Emory University campuses has led to calls for Trump administration officials to change their rhetoric about vaccines before more violent acts occur.
Atlanta CDC shooting leaves police officer David Rose dead
On Friday, a shootout in Atlanta led to the death of 33-year-old DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, who was the first on the scene responding to an active shooter situation near the CDC and Emory University. Rose, a recent police academy graduate, leaves behind two children and a wife, who is pregnant with the couple’s third child.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the loss of the life of one of our very own DeKalb County police officers,” Dekalb County Interim Police Chief Greg Padrick said. “This officer responded to the call as he was trained to do, and during that incident, he received gunfire and he lost his life in this incident. He was committed to serving the community.”
The alleged shooter, later identified as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, fired at several CDC buildings, breaking windows in the process. After fatally shooting Officer Rose and injuring a second police officer, White then fled to a nearby Emory Point CVS. White and police exchanged gunfire on the second floor of that building. White suffered a fatal gunshot that may have been self-inflicted, according to reports.
No civilians were killed during the ordeal, which left the CDC and Emory University campuses on lockdown until the active shooter crisis had ended.
Shooting linked to anti-vaccine conspiracy theories
As more information arises about White, it appears likely that his shooting rampage was motivated by his beliefs concerning the COVID-19 vaccine. Several of White’s neighbors report that he had made various conspiratorial comments about the vaccine. White reportedly dealt with challenges such as depression and had begun to blame the vaccine for his declining mental health. White’s father, who contacted police to tell them that his son may be the shooter, says that White had become obsessed with the COVID-19 and was also upset about the recent death of his dog.
Given the likelihood that White was targeting the CDC as a result of his views on the COVID-19 vaccine, a number of voices have called out the Trump administration and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for their anti-vaccine rhetoric.
A statement from The American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2883, a union that represents workers at the CDC, said that the shooting “compounds months of mistreatment, neglect, and vilification that CDC staff have endured.” The union called for both HHS and the CDC to adopt a “clear and unequivocal stance in condemning vaccine disinformation.”
Fired But Fighting, representing former CDC employees who were let go under Kennedy’s leadership, called out the secretary for “his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust.” Under Kennedy’s leadership, thousands of employees have been laid off from health and safety agencies like the CDC, National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration. Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, has also cut hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for vaccine development and has pressured a major medical journal to retract a study that showed no link between a common vaccine ingredient and proposed health risks for children.
Critics of RFK Jr. have already warned that his actions could have long-term negative impacts on public health in the US. Now, his rhetoric is being connected to another growing risk: violence on the part of vaccine conspiracy theorists. While it has not been established that the Atlanta shooter was directly motivated by RFK Jr’s rhetoric, the HHS Secretary is being blamed for contributing to a dangerous atmosphere for health workers and researchers.
