Two days after the incident, which claimed the life of responding DeKalb County police officer David Rose, she said anxiety still permeates her workplace, even though her coworkers eventually made it home safely. In building 16, a few steps from her usual workspace, bullets hit the windows of her office. According to officials, gunshots damaged at least three additional buildings at the public health organization located in Atlanta.
Soda told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “It’s terrifying.” Our only goal is to work hard and do our best to save lives. If we can’t find a safe place to work, we can’t do that.
David Aaro, whose email address is [email protected]/
David Aaro, whose email address is [email protected]/
Soda was among dozens of Atlantans who attended a news conference in Piedmont Park on Sunday to denounce the attack, including former and current CDC personnel. In the midst of major federal budget cuts and vaccination scandals under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., those present discussed the agency’s significance.
Signs reading “CDC saves lives, Save the CDC,” and “Resign Stand Down RFK!!!” were displayed by numerous people. Kennedy oversaw almost 2,000 layoffs at the CDC, one of the biggest employers in the state.
The gunman was discovered dead on the second floor of a CVS across the street from the CDC. The GBI identified him as Patrick Joseph White. On Saturday, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press that White blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him suicidal and sad.
According to that account, White attempted to enter the CDC’s Atlanta offices while carrying many firearms, including at least one long rifle, but was thwarted by security personnel.
Soda claimed that Kennedy was spreading misinformation and mistrust but failed to comment on White’s intentions.
He has a lot of fanciful theories. It isn’t motivated by science. Soda, who has been with the CDC since 2016, stated that it is not what the American people deserve. Numerous lives have been saved by the vaccine.
Kennedy’s official social media page shared a message of support for CDC staff on Saturday. They were promptly emailed a longer one.
According to the statement, “We are aware of how extremely disturbing this is, especially for those who work in Atlanta.” We are all affected differently by the shock and uncertainty that follow such events, and they are genuine. You are not alone, and we want everyone to know that. To make sure there is assistance on the ground, leadership works closely with CDC teams.
David Aaro, whose email address is [email protected]/
David Aaro, whose email address is [email protected]/
Kennedy must accept responsibility for his (prior) words in the wake of the latest comments, according to Anna Yousaf, an infectious diseases specialist at the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
Kennedy has compared the CDC to a death camp run by Nazis. We are perpetrating atrocities against children, he told his followers, and he needs to take responsibility for that rhetoric, condemn it, and inform his supporters that those claims are false, Yousaf said. We cannot remain silent in the face of such violence; it is intolerable. Our leaders must publicly declare that this must end at all levels, in all institutions, and throughout the government.
Officials from the White House have not issued a statement. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services was contacted by the AJC on Sunday, but it did not immediately provide a statement.
Yousaf has worked with the CDC since 2019 and is typically at her office. However, the warning system alerted her to the active shooter at approximately 5 p.m. on Friday while she was working remotely.
She tried messaging her office team in a panic. They only knew that nearby windows were being struck by bullets and that employees were hearing gunshots. They eventually survived without suffering any physical harm, but the psychological harm had already been done.
They informed me they were trembling uncontrollably. They had to vomit. Yousaf told the AJC, “I heard that people were going to Emory with acute stress symptoms and panic attacks, and they were crying uncontrollably.”
The CDC child care center was holding roughly 90 youngsters throughout the turmoil. This includes the one-year-old boy of Abigail Tighe, who was in lockdown with the other children. She claimed that before the center assured her that everyone was okay, she was really afraid.
Nothing compares to seeing your child again after worrying that they might have been in a mass massacre when they were just a year old, Tighe added.
David Aaro, whose email address is [email protected]/
David Aaro, whose email address is [email protected]/
Attendees also expressed their appreciation for Rose, who was seriously injured and passed away at Emory University Hospital, during the news conference hosted by Fired But Fighting, a network of former CDC officials. This year, he was the fourth member of Georgia law enforcement to be killed while performing their duties.
In order to save hundreds of lives, Officer Rose gave his life. Tighe stated that he and his family have our eternal gratitude and debt.
Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN
Credit: AJC/HYOSUB SHIN
Following the incident, staff were informed that police and security teams were still determining the best course of action and that there will be more patrols in the area.
Yousaf and Soda both said that they were instructed to work from home until at least Monday. They said they had not been granted any time off.
“I don’t want my coworkers to be retraumatized by walking past all these bullet holes in the glass that are right next where they sit,” Yousaf stated, adding that he still wanted to complete his work.
“I will never feel the same sitting there again,” Soda continued.
