CDC staff want RFK Jr. to denounce health misinformation — and they want tighter security

Georgia Bureau of Investigation update on investigation into fatal Aug. 8 shooting near CDC headquarters and Emory University. (GBI)
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation give an update on the investigation into the fatal Aug. 8, 2025, shooting near CDC headquarters and Emory University. (GBI)

Current and former employees of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are pushing for U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to denounce vaccine misinformation they say puts scientists at risk, as investigations into Friday’s shooting at the CDC in Atlanta continue. 

Investigators have identified Patrick Joseph White, 30, of Kennesaw, as the man who fired nearly 200 rounds with a long gun at six CDC buildings, killing DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose before turning his weapon on himself.

The driver’s license photo of Patrick Joseph White, the assailant in the Aug. 8, 2025, shooting at the CDC in Atlanta. (Courtesy of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation)

At a briefing, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said White had no known criminal history before the attack.