Georgia authorities identify suspect in CDC shooting as a 30-year-old man from suburban Atlanta

Advertisement

Advertise with us

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has identified the man who opened fire at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White of Kennesaw, Georgia.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

Subscribe Now

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on brandonsun.com
  • Read the Brandon Sun E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
Start now

No thanks

*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has identified the man who opened fire at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White of Kennesaw, Georgia.

The GBI statement says White died and Officer David Rose with the DeKalb County Police Department was shot and killed during the shooting Friday.

The shooter opened fire outside the CDC headquarters, striking windows across the sprawling campus and killing the officer before he was found dead in a nearby building, authorities said. The attack prompted a massive law enforcement response to one of the nation’s most prominent public health institutions, but no one else was reported to be injured.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters sign is seen behind a police line in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters sign is seen behind a police line in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

At least four CDC buildings were hit, Director Susan Monarez said in a post on X. Images shared by employees showed multiple agency buildings with bullet-pocked windows, underscoring the breadth of the damage to a site where thousands of scientists and staff work on critical disease research.

The gunman was found on the second floor of a building across the street from the CDC campus and died at the scene, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. He added Friday that “we do not know at this time whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted.”

The shooter was armed with a long gun, and authorities recovered three other firearms at the scene, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

The gunman’s motive is still unknown this early in the investigation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Friday.

A voicemail left at a phone number listed for White in public records was not immediately returned Saturday morning.

Rose, 33, was a former Marine who served in Afghanistan and graduated from the police academy in March and “quickly earned the respect of his colleagues for his dedication, courage and professionalism,” DeKalb County said in a statement.

“This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father,” DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said.

Report Error Submit a Tip

Lifestyles

LOAD MORE