DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation released new details on Tuesday about the active shooter situation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that killed a DeKalb County police officer and terrorized the area around the facility.
Investigators released a photo on Tuesday of the gunman, Patrick White, of Kennesaw.
Channel 2 Cobb County Bureau Chief Michele Newell has been digging into White’s past, where she learned his father had called police about White’s mental health.
GBI director Chris Hosey said White took his father’s guns for the attack.
“Of the five firearms that were recovered, it was a mixture of rifles, a shotgun and maybe a handgun,” Hosey said. “They were secure, and he forced his way into the safe that contained the weapons.”
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The GBI also talked more about the motive behind the shooting.
“A search warrant executed at the residence of the shooter revealed written documentation that expressed the shooter’s discontent with the COVID-19 vaccination,” Hosey said.
According to the 911 log, police were called to the home White lived at with his parents several times in the past year.
“We are aware that there were law enforcement contacts made with him prior to it (the shooting). Currently, at this time, our investigators are getting with the law enforcement that made those contacts, finding out what the details were,” Hosey said.
In an incident report filed last year, White’s father told police, “His son Patrick was suicidal and was trying to get to the guns in the locker.”
“Patrick stated he did take a gun from his father, but it was unloaded and that it was only a cry for help,” the report said.
Earlier this year, and two weeks prior to the shooting, police were called to the home due to White’s mental state.
The last 911 call White’s father made was after the shooting.
“I’m very worried that he might’ve been involved in this shooting today,” White’s father told the 911 operator.
At the start of that call, White’s father asked the 911 operator to speak with a specific officer who he said knew about his son’s problems.
The GBI said they have not heard any of the 911 calls but plan to at some point.
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