CDC Shooter Blamed COVID-19 Vaccine for Mental Health Issues, According to Neighbors

This motive for the attack provides another example of the dangers of health misinformation.
Aug. 12, 2025
2 min read

A Georgia man who opened fire on the CDC headquarters in Atlanta blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for his mental health problems, according to media reports. CIDRAP has the news.

A police officer was killed by the gunman before the shooter died of gunshot wounds. The shooter, Patrick White, 30, had allegedly told his neighbors “he believed the COVID-19 vaccine caused him to experience depression.” In the aftermath of the attack, “the American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents CDC workers, has called on both the CDC and [HHS]…to condemn the vaccine misinformation that fueled the attack.”

The union released a statement saying that vaccine disinformation “continues to pose a dangerous threat to public health and safety.” They also said that “condemnation is necessary to help prevent violence against scientists that may be incited by such disinformation.”

Certain CDC staff are “now calling for [Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., secretary of HHS] to resign, saying he has fostered dangerous misinformation about vaccines in the United States. During a CDC meeting over the weekend, many said this incident is the culmination of Kennedy's decades-long campaign against vaccines and the CDC, an agency he has called a ‘cesspool of corruption,’ and the COVID-19 vaccines in particular, which he has said are the deadliest vaccines ever made.”

The American Public Health Association (APHA) also issued a statement, saying the attack on the CDC should be a “rallying point for support for this critical institution and all those who dedicate their lives to improving our health.”

About the Author

Matt MacKenzie

Associate Editor

Matt is Associate Editor for Healthcare Purchasing News.

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