ATLANTA — An internal letter from CDC officials to employees suggests that the suspect who attacked the headquarters earlier this month likely tried to visit days before the shooting.
The letter sent to agency employees and reviewed by ABC News says there is a “very high likelihood” that Patrick Joseph White, 30, tried getting onto the CDC campus two days before the shooting.
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Surveillance video “does not 100% confirm the person’s identity," but CDC security and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation believe it was most likely White.
They believe he was likely scoping out the CDC to plan the Aug. 8 attack.
White is accused of firing 500 shots at the CDC headquarters and killing DeKalb County Police Department Officer David Rose, 33.
"The probing of a site is a common practice for individuals planning to engage in violent acts. It is usually the last phase before actually carrying out an attack," the letter read.
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While concerning, Jeff Williams, CDC’s director for the Office of Safety, Security, and Asset Management, says the fact that White was turned away from the headquarters on Wednesday “is a testament to the strength of our protocols.”
"While the events were frightening, I am reassured to know that our security team acted swiftly and appropriately," Williams wrote in the letter.
White died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the attack.
Rose will be laid to rest in a public memorial service on Friday morning.
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