Emory University shooting: Suspected killer Patrick White’s neighbor noticed vaccine obsession but didn’t think he’d hurt anyone

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to the shooting on Saturday.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic shooting at CDC’s Atlanta campus that took the life of officer David Rose,” Kennedy wrote on X. “We stand with his wife and three children and the entire CDC family. We know how shaken our public health colleagues feel today. No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.”

“We are actively supporting CDC staff on the ground and across the agency,” he added. “Public health workers show up every day with purpose — even in moments of grief and uncertainty.

Suspected gunman Patrick Joseph White’s neighbor, Nancy Hoalst, described the 30-year-old as “unsettled” and said he would often talk about anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.

“He very deeply believed that vaccines had hurt him, and that they were hurting other people,” Hoalst told The New York Times.

However, Hoalst said she “never thought he would take it out on other people.”

“It was a such a belief, it was almost like faith,” she added. “It was a tenet of who he was.”

Another neighbor, Joshua Shirah, told WSBTV White was “an OK guy” who lived with his parents and helped neighbors with yard work.

“Not the kind of person I thought would do that, but stuff happens,” Shirah said.

Five guns were found at the scene of Friday’s shooting near the CDC campus and Emory University, The New York Times reports, citing a preliminary report from the Justice Department.

Four of these weapons were long guns, while at least one had a scope, according to the report reviewed by the Times.

Suspected gunman Patrick Joseph White was fixated on the Covid-19 vaccine and believed it was the cause of physical ailments he was suffering from, The New York Times reports, citing officials.

CDC officials told their staff on Saturday that investigators discovered White was “very disturbed,” the Times reports. White had recently sought mental health assistance, officials added.

However, there were no threats made against the CDC that indicated an attack was imminent, officials reportedly said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director reportedly held a call with some staff to discuss Friday’s shooting, which left at least four buildings on the agency’s Atlanta campus riddled with bullet holes.

CDC Director Susan Monarez held the call with the agency’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, which is housed in one of the buildings struck by gunfire, The Washington Post reports.

“They emphasized that they want campus to feel safe before we come back but I don’t know how that would happen,” a CDC employee told the Post.

Monarez didn’t reveal any additional information about the suspect’s motives, the Post reports.

Officials have not yet publicly discussed a motive. However, a law enforcement official told CNN police believe the shooter may have targeted the CDC because he believed he had an illness caused by the Covid-19 vaccine.

Local residents say they’re shaken up in the wake of Friday’s shooting.

Jabel Hendrix, who works in the area, told 11 Alive he was instructed to stay home Friday while his coworkers sheltered in place.

“I was worried about my coworkers, making sure they were good,” he said.

Hendrix often shops at the CVS where police say suspected gunman Patrick Joseph White opened fire. White was later found dead on the second floor of the CVS.

“There’s bullet holes… I go into this CVS and grab stuff all the time. I can’t imagine,” he added.

DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, 33, was fatally shot during Friday’s shooting near the CDC campus and Emory University.

Rose was a married father of two children with a third on the way.

“Officer Rose served DeKalb County with courage, integrity, and unwavering dedication,” the DeKalb County Police Department said in a tribute. “Even in the face of danger was he diligent in his duty to protect our community.”

FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency is offering its full support to the loved ones of DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, who was killed in Friday’s shooting.

“Pray for the family, friends, and colleagues of this hero who acted quickly to defend others and made the ultimate sacrifice,” Patel wrote on X. “The FBI will offer them our full support.”

Joshua Shirah, the neighbor of suspected Atlanta gunman Patrick Joseph White, told WSBTV the 30-year-old seemed like “an OK guy.”

White lived with his parents and often did yard work for neighbors, Shirah said. Police arrived at White’s home around 11:30 p.m. on Friday night, he told WSBTV.

“I communicated with him a few times,” Shirah said. “I know he did work for my grandfather around the house.”

“Not the kind of person I thought would do that, but stuff happens,” he added.