"Kennedy is directly responsible for the villainization of CDC's workforce through his continuous lies about science and vaccine safety, which have fueled a climate of hostility and mistrust," one ex-employee wrote, according to the Associated Press news agency.

A law enforcement official tells The Associated Press that a Georgia man who opened fire Friday on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta had blamed the COVID-19 v

Officer David Rose, 33, was shot while responding to the gunfire, the DeKalb County Police Department said in a news release. He was transported to nearby Emory University Hospital where he died of his injuries. Newsweek has contacted the police department for further comment via email.