Kenneth White's desperate pleas to 911 operators painted a chilling picture as his son, Patrick Joseph White, unleashed chaos at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta last Friday.
According to the New York Post, Kenneth made multiple calls, voicing his fear that his son was behind the violent attack that claimed a police officer's life. The transcripts, obtained by a local news outlet, reveal a father grappling with dread and frustration over the lack of response from authorities.
“I’m very worried that he might have been involved in this shooting today,” Kenneth told operators, his voice laden with urgency. His repeated attempts to get information or assistance fell on deaf ears, as he noted having called DeKalb County emergency services multiple times without a callback.
In one of the calls, Kenneth specifically requested contact from an officer who had previously helped with his son’s issues. He referenced past troubles, saying the officer had offered support for any future problems with Patrick.
“He has been involved last summer with some problems we had with my adult son,” Kenneth explained, hoping for a familiar voice to intervene. Records later revealed a history of at least ten emergency calls from the White family home over two years, including reports of suicide threats and domestic issues.
As Kenneth sought help, Patrick was already in the midst of his rampage at the CDC campus, having fired over 180 rounds and shattered 150 blast-resistant windows. It remains unclear if authorities ever responded to Kenneth’s pleas during the unfolding crisis.
The incident began when CDC security prevented Patrick from driving onto the campus, prompting him to park near a pharmacy across the street. From there, he opened fire on the headquarters, targeting the building with relentless gunfire.
DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose was fatally shot while responding to the scene, a heartbreaking loss amid the chaos. No one inside the CDC building was harmed, though the scale of destruction was staggering.
Investigators later found Patrick dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, ending the violent spree. They also discovered he had broken into a locked safe at home to access his father’s weapons before launching the attack.
A search of the White family home uncovered documents and electronic devices shedding light on Patrick’s mindset. Some writings explicitly detailed his anger over COVID-19 vaccinations, blaming them for his depression and suicidal thoughts.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey noted that the materials showed Patrick’s intent to publicize his grievances with the vaccine. This obsession with perceived harms from public health measures appears to have fueled his deadly actions.
While the personal torment driving Patrick is evident, the broader narrative around vaccine mandates and government overreach resonates with many who question top-down policies. Without excusing violence, it’s worth asking if heavy-handed approaches to public health have alienated segments of society to a breaking point.
The loss of Officer Rose and the terror inflicted on the CDC campus stand as grim reminders of unaddressed mental health struggles and societal fractures. Kenneth White’s unanswered calls underscore a system that failed to connect the dots in time.
Patrick’s documented fixation on vaccine policies raises hard questions about balancing individual freedoms with collective safety. If anything, this tragedy should prompt a sober look at how we handle dissent and distress before they erupt into violence.
As investigations continue, the focus must shift to ensuring such warning signs are heeded, not ignored. For a father’s desperate warnings and a community’s grief, the least we can do is demand better from those tasked with protecting us.
