Crime
Atlanta Gunman Targeted CDC Headquarters, Claiming COVID Vaccine Made Him Sick
Authorities in Atlanta are investigating a deadly shooting incident near Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters.
Law enforcement officials report that the suspected gunman is deceased, and the immediate threat to the public has been neutralized. However, police continue to urge the public to avoid the area while the investigation remains active.
According to a law enforcement official, preliminary information suggests the shooter may have been motivated by a belief that he was ill and blamed his condition on the COVID-19 vaccine.
This theory emerged after police spoke with members of the suspect’s family.
The incident unfolded when the gunman approached a building at the CDC campus, placed a backpack on the ground, produced a rifle, and opened fire at the building.
A CDC employee, who witnessed the attack, immediately called 911 after hearing multiple gunshots.
The CDC campus, located adjacent to Emory University, was placed on lockdown, along with portions of the university.
The Atlanta Police Department confirmed on X (formerly Twitter) that there was only one shooter involved and that he is now dead.
They emphasized that there is no ongoing threat to Emory University or the surrounding community.
During the response, a DeKalb County police officer sustained critical injuries while confronting the shooter. The officer was transported to Emory University Hospital but tragically did not survive. The reported time of death was 5:48 p.m.
The Emory College of Arts and Design had earlier posted an urgent alert on X, warning that the shooter was near Emory Point.
Georgia Department of Transportation traffic cameras captured a heavy police presence in the area.
The proximity of the shooting to the CDC heightened concerns, as the federal health agency issued an internal alert advising employees to take immediate shelter.
FBI agents have been deployed to assist local authorities in the investigation. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr expressed deep concern over the tragedy, stating, “We are horrified by the active shooter situation on or near Emory’s campus and are praying for the safety of the entire campus community. We stand ready to assist our law enforcement partners with whatever they may need.”
While initial reports indicate that no civilians were injured, the CDC headquarters did sustain gunfire damage.
Authorities are working to determine whether the CDC facility was the primary target of the attack. The investigation remains ongoing.
Crime
Mustapha Kharbouch Now-Deleted 2024 Manifesto Published in Institute for Palestine Studies Recovered
Brown University has removed multiple online references to student activist Mustapha Kharbouch in the days following a deadly campus shooting, a move that has drawn public attention amid heightened online speculationโdespite law enforcement officials confirming that no suspects or persons of interest have been identified in the investigation.
Archived versions of Brown University webpages show that Kharbouch, a first-year student at the time, was previously listed in several university-affiliated roles, including as a student assistant and Cultural Programming Coordinator connected to the Global Brown Center.
His academic interests were described as focusing on International and Public Affairs and Anthropology, with involvement in Middle Eastโfocused academic, cultural, and student programming.
Those pages are no longer accessible, and Kharbouchโs social media accounts have also been deactivated.
A verified buyer from the United States with the name “Mustapha K.” reviewed a 9MM muzzle brake through the Wing Tactical website on December 29th, 2024 โ the same caliber used in the Brown shooting.
There are approximately a few hundred people in the entire United States with that first name + last initial combination.
University officials have not issued a public explanation for the removal of the online profiles.
The changes occurred as online speculation intensified in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, with social media users circulating screenshots of archived university pages and past writings associated with Kharbouch.
Among the materials resurfaced by online users was a 2024 essay authored by Kharbouch and published by the Institute for Palestine Studies as part of a special student essay series titled Genocide in Gaza: Student Essays โ Brown University Encampment 2024.
The essay, titled โI Hear the Voice of My Ancestors Calling: From the Camps to the Campus,โ was published on August 13, 2024, months before the shooting. The piece is a first-person reflective essay examining Palestinian identity, intergenerational memory, student activism, and questions of hope amid displacement, war, and protest.
The article includes poetic excerpts adapted from โAncestors Song,โ a chant popularized during student-led Palestine solidarity actions at Brown University, and documents Kharbouchโs participation in campus organizing efforts, including sit-ins, hunger strikes, rallies, and the Brown Gaza Solidarity Encampment.
The essay situates these experiences within a broader discussion of decolonial thought, feminist theory, and Palestinian history, including reflections on the 1948 Nakba and the authorโs family history as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee raised in Lebanon.
The content of the essay is ideological, autobiographical, and academic in nature.
There is no reference to violence on campus, nor any indication of intent or planning related to criminal activity.
The Institute for Palestine Studies has not issued any statement suggesting the piece is under review or connected to the shooting.
Despite widespread online conjecture, law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Providence Police, have not named Mustapha Kharbouch as a suspect or person of interest, and have publicly stated that there is no evidence linking him to the shooting.
Investigators have emphasized that the case remains active and that conclusions are being guided strictly by verified evidence.
Authorities have cautioned against drawing inferences from online speculation, warning that unsubstantiated claims can compromise investigations and cause undue harm to individuals not implicated by facts.
Media analysts and campus observers have suggested that Brown Universityโs decision to remove online references may have been taken as a protective or precautionary measure, particularly as misinformation and harassment proliferated across social media platforms following the attack.
Similar actions have been taken by institutions in other high-profile incidents to limit doxxing, targeted harassment, or the misinterpretation of publicly available biographical information during periods of heightened tension.
Brown University has not confirmed whether the removals were temporary, administrative, or safety-related in nature.
Authorities continue to urge the public to rely on confirmed information released by law enforcement and to avoid amplifying unverified narratives.
As of the most recent update, no arrests have been announced, no individuals have been publicly identified as suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with credible information related to the shooting has been asked to contact investigators directly.