On Aug. 8, over 500 rounds were fired at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, GA causing extensive damage to the CDC and killing Dekalb Police Officer David Rose, 33. The shooter, Patrick Joseph White, a 30-year-old man from Kennesaw stole his father’s long gun from his father’s safe where he lived with his parents, claiming the COVID-19 vaccine gave him back pain, made him suicidal, and caused his depression to worsen.
White’s suicidal thoughts have been reported to Cobb Police over four times. In Sept. 2024, White told an officer that he’s had increasing back pain ever since he got the COVID-19 vaccine. White stated his depression has increased along with his suicidal thoughts.
“People need to educate themselves about the science behind the vaccines that the CDC uses and the purpose of the CDC since they’ve done a lot of good instead of focusing on the one negative,” said AP World History teacher Regan Pierce.
White’s father, Kenneth White, called the police on a second occasion since Patrick stole one of his guns out of his safe. He was worried that his son was going to commit suicide with it or had a plan to hurt innocent citizens.
Another report from April says the police had to check on White after he called the crisis line saying he was drinking and taking his medication. Once the police arrived at his house, White explained that he called the crisis line “just to talk to someone.”
The fourth call made was on July 21stwhen Kenneth White called the police to report that his son had left the previous evening. Patrick White left a message for his father indicating he planned to kill himself. Later on, however, Patrick White returned to their family home.
Kenneth White contacted the police for a fifth time on the afternoon of Aug. 8 expressing fear that his son was the shooter at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta. Kenneth White said that Patrick White, his son, was saddened by the death of his dog and had become overly fixated on the COVID-19 vaccine.
During the shooting, White used his father’s long gun and fired over 180 rounds. 500 shells were found on the scene of the crime. Windows were broken, littered with holes in them, and the CDC headquarters experienced extensive damage causing many employees to work from home following the attack.
Patrick White was found after the shooting in a second floor of a building across the street from the campus with self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Police assume his cause of death was suicide.
Despite the number of rounds fired, there were no civilian deaths. Rose, the sole causality, was a Marine who served in Afghanistan and had recently graduated from the Police Academy in March 2025. Rose was the fourth th police officer killed in GA this year.
On Aug. 11, flowers were placed outside of the CDC headquarters as a memorial for Rose. By early afternoon, an online fundraising site raised over $200,000 for the Rose family.
Several written documents, electronic devices and five remaining weapons from father Kenneth White’s safe were removed from White’s family home. The weapons used in the mass shooting were all stolen from father Kenneth White’s lock safe.
Since White’s mass shooting, more safety precautions are being implemented in the CDC headquarters: additional perimeter security on all campuses until the investigation is completed, installation of bulletproof glass, an improved alert system, and heavier armed guards. The headquarters is also planning to create an extensive evacuation plan for disabled employees and staff.
Roswell High students and staff interviewed repeated the need for additional state gun regulations and mental health services need to become more accessible.
“It’s sad because someone’s life was taken – the other person didn’t get the help that they needed. There should be barriers in place for safety reasons. If you see something, say something,” said Cheryl Eroh.
