The man suspected of opening fire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's sprawling campus late Friday had blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for making him sick and depressed, according to information gathered by law enforcement and sources close to the suspect.

The alleged shooter killed a police officer and spread panic through the health agency and nearby Emory University.

"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.