The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meanwhile, is reeling from the aftermath of the Thursday shooting spree. A police officer has lost their life, and the institution’s staff remains understandably shaken and traumatized. The gunfire triggered the lockdown on the CDC campus in Atlanta. The suspect, Patrick Joseph White, opened fire with 3 different weapons. In a widely criticized move, CDC director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would seek to cut $500 million of the CDC’s mRNA vaccine research. He announced it only days before the tragic incident took place.
On Saturday, Kennedy was in touch with CDC staff following the shooting. Dr. Jerome Adams, former U.S. Surgeon General, called his response “tepid” and slow to act. Adams characterized Kennedy’s initial leadership response as a “failed test,” stressing the need for committed, courageous leadership at the top during crises. Further, he reiterated the incredible promise of mRNA technology, asserting that it had saved more than two million lives during the pandemic.
Investigators called it an extremely complicated crime scene, according to authorities from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. News reports say White was armed with five guns, including at least one long gun. White had apparently been reeling from personal demons, including the death of his dog. He indicated his wariness of COVID-19 vaccines. Interestingly, a neighbor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that White regularly expressed doubts about the safety of vaccines.
The shooting broke out on a day when more than 90 of those young children found themselves locked down inside the CDC’s Clifton school. News of this incident rippled across the community. Police officer David Rose, responding to the attack, was mortally wounded. The suspect’s rejected but audacious effort to storm CDC headquarters. Though security guards immediately apprehended him, he as such drove to a nearby pharmacy and opened fire, hitting at least four CDC buildings.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, CDC staff found themselves sheltering in place in various departmental buildings. They remained there late into the night as law enforcement secured the area. Immediately after that shooting, the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2883 issued a series of public statements condemning the working conditions. They highlighted that “staff should not be required to work next to bullet holes” and warned that forcing a return under such circumstances might re-traumatize employees.
“No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.” – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Today, Dr. Jerome Adams, the former U.S. He said that Kennedy’s inflammatory rhetoric around vaccines has created such a climate of hostility and mistrust.
“That’s not even considering how his inflammatory rhetoric in the past has actually contributed to a lot of what’s been going on.” – Dr. Jerome Adams
The incident has caused deep concern among CDC employees about leaders’ willingness to prioritize workplace safety and hold themselves accountable. Fired But Fighting, a collective of newly-laid-off CDC workers, shared their concerns fired Over 200 laid off Csdc in.
“His continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust.” – Fired But Fighting
Investigators are trying to piece together the circumstances surrounding the shooting. They are pushing back against Kennedy’s move to end abundant funding for mRNA vaccine research. This reversal has caused a firestorm of opposition among public health advocates. In their opinion, they focus on the urgent need for sustained investment into developing safe and effective vaccines.
Nancy Hoalst, a nearby resident and friend of White, described him as “extremely disturbed.” She observed that he was profoundly committed to the idea that vaccines were toxic. This tragic incident not only highlights individual struggles but raises questions about the broader implications of vaccine misinformation in society.