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The man who attacked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention likely attempted to enter the Atlanta campus days before the shooting earlier in the month.
Security camera footage from Aug. 6 appears to show the shooter, Patrick Joseph White, trying to walk inside the visitor's center, according to an email sent to staff on Thursday and viewed by Bloomberg News. The security footage does not completely confirm White's identity, but the CDC's security office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the "likelihood is very high."
"Due to our existing security protocols, the shooter did not attempt to enter campus on Friday, August 8, prior to the attack" wrote Jeff Williams, the CDC's director in the Office of Safety, Security and Asset Management, in the email.
On that day, White fired nearly 200 bullets into four buildings and two security towers from a nearby CVS Pharmacy. Local authorities have said the gunman was motivated by his views about the COVID-19 vaccine.
CDC employees have blamed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for fueling mistrust over the safety of vaccines
Williams said that security turned White away on Aug. 6 "without incident," which showed how current security measures were able to protect employees. He added that investigators believe White was trying to assess the security measures of the campus before the attack occurred. The CDC's security office is continuing to work with Georgia authorities, the email said.
Staff were allowed to work remote for a week following the shooting. At least one center was given the option to continue working from home while the campus is cleaned up.
A local police officer died responding to the scene, and White died from a self-inflicted wound, according to investigators.
The email was originally reported by STAT News.