On a large and hastily arranged Zoom call Saturday, about 800 noisy staff members were trying to understand the trauma they suffered a day ago when a gunman opened fire across the street at the agency’s building.
They have been over the weekend when more than 40 bullets smashed in their office windows, shivered on their compartment walls and stained staff in at least four buildings.
But Friday’s violence is the latest unsettling new chapter, a turbulent time for the CDC. While authorities have not announced the motive for the shooting, law enforcement sources say the suspect may target the CDC with the goal that he blames it on the Covid-19-19-19 vaccine.
The CDC is one of the world’s leading health agencies, with a mission to protect the health of Americans. But it came under fire as conspiracy theories continued to plague the vaccine as it stopped the spread of the global pandemic during the second Trump administration.
The CDC leader told staff over the phone that the attack on the CDC office had been targeted and intentional. Leaders added that staff may hear that their work is a possible motivation for shooters.
CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry acknowledged whether terrorist workers experienced in buildings or not whether they were in buildings, saying that “this happened to the leader.”
Leaders told staff that many of them worked at the agency’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, and the attack was conducted by a shooter who had been exposed to mental health assistance weeks before the incident, but did not pose any threats ahead of time.
It is unclear who was identified as Patrick Joseph White, 30. An investigation into what led to the shooting is underway.
A CDC employee shared a bullet hole in a Windows window near the 24th building of CDC headquarters on Friday. – Obtained via CNN
The gunshot broke Friday after shooting targeting the CDC headquarters. – Obtained via CNN
“This is not a wandering bullet”
The shooting began before 5 p.m. at the Emory Point CVS pharmacy on Clifton Road, with the front front being the front door of the CDC.
The Gunner – wearing what appeared to be a surgical mask and equipped with two pistols, a rifle, a shotgun and two backpacks with ammunition – fired a gun on at least four CDC buildings.
CDC leaders said on Saturday that there were at least 40 bullet holes in the two buildings and some of the third ones. These buildings can accommodate most of the non-LAB jobs of the CDC.
“This is not a wandering bullet,” a leader said on the phone. CNN obtained a copy of employee notes from the meeting, which were shared through large employee groups chats.
CDC employees said on Saturday that they felt like “a duck sitting.”
Photos viewed by CNN Photos taken from an interior of a CDC depicting bullet holes on windows and broken glass on floors. These images show a round of ammunition flying above the office compartment where employees sit.
When the gunman fired at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose rose. According to law enforcement sources, the shooter turned his target from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention complex to an officer.
Rose, 33, was shot and died in the hospital. Rose is a married father and another person on the way and will be working for a year next month.
After a tense lockout that stretched into the late night, the gunman was struck by gunfire and found dead on the second floor of the CVS store. The police cannot say whether the gunshots are from the officer or the gunman himself.
The situation could be worse, the staff said.
“This is a miracle,” a CDC employee told CNN.
Flowers were seen under handwritten signs outside the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) global headquarters after a shooting in Atlanta, Georgia on August 9, 2025. – Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Shooting occurred in vaccine misinformation and cut CDC funds
Law enforcement officials told CNN that after police spoke to the suspect’s family, police are based on the assumption that he is sick or thinks he is sick and blames the disease for the assumption.
The shooting happened the same week, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services.
HHS said it will cancel federal funding for nearly twenty-two mRNA vaccine programs.
“We are very saddened by the tragic shootings on the CDC’s Atlanta campus, which has spent the life of David Rose,” Kennedy said Saturday. “No one should face violence when protecting others’ health.”
Officer David Rose was shot dead in a shooting on Emory University campus. – DeKalb County Police
“Even in times of sadness and uncertainty, public health workers are showing up every day,” the Health Secretary continued. “We respect their services. We stand with them. We are still united to protect and improve the health of every American.”
According to staff instructions obtained by CNN, when he called Kennedy on Saturday to talk about his shooting, CDC director Dr. Susan Monarez responded to their contact with his office.
Monares was also asked how the agency plans to address false information, but the agency leaders on the phone did not respond directly.
Monarez informed CDC employees via email that they will work remotely when they conduct a “safety assessment” on Monday. She said employee assistance staff had been provided to workers.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said CDC employees “have done a tough job over the past year”, referring to the “uncertainty” of employment in CDC employees.
The agency has lost nearly a quarter of its employees since January. The Trump administration’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 will cut the agency’s funding by more than half.
Under the proposed reorganization, the CDC will lose other plans. Some will be transferred to a new government in a healthy U.S., while others (such as the National Center for Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion) will be eliminated completely.
“My heart is in your mouth,” Dickens said. “We are with you. We stand with you and we are doing everything we can to make sure we bring our determination into the situation.”
Kathleen Magramo and Ray Sanchez of CNN contributed to the report.
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