Investigators reported that the man who fired 180 shots into the Atlanta headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did so to deliver a message.
"A search warrant executed at the residence of the shooter revealed written documentation that expressed the shooter's discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations," said Chris Hosey, director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | A police officer and a suspected gunman are dead after a shooting near Emory University and the CDC in Atlanta
The shooter, identified as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, gained access to the long gun used in the attack by breaking into his father's locked weapons safe.
White was stopped by CDC security guards before he drove to a CVS pharmacy across the street. The shooting resulted in the death of one responding officer.
Authorities recovered more than 500 shell casings from the scene. Investigators also disclosed that White had recently expressed thoughts of suicide, confirming that he took his own life shortly after the shooting by using the same weapon.
RELATED STORY | CDC shooter believed COVID vaccine made him suicidal, his father tells police
"A total of five firearms along with other evidence has been recovered from the scene and will be submitted for further forensic testing," Hosey said. "Close to 200 rounds impacted six of the CDC buildings."
"It was a mixture, I believe, of I know rifles, a shotgun, and maybe a handgun," he added. "I'm not completely sure on that. The majority, I believe, of the shell casings recovered were from a long gun rifle."
