A man opened fire on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, killing a police officer who tried to stop him, authorities said.
CDC Director Susan Monarez confirmed that at least four buildings at the Atlanta-based public health agency had been struck in the shooting, which began shortly before 5 p.m.
A DeKalb County police officer who responded to the scene was critically injured and later died at Emory University Hospital, police said.
The shooter was found on the second floor of a CVS across the street from the CDC. Police said he had been struck by gunfire but could not say if it was from an officer or self-inflicted.
The incident prompted a lockdown on the Emory University campus and the CDC.
A post on X from the school’s Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response alerted students and staff of an “active shooter” at the Emory Point CVS just after 5 p.m.
Those nearby were directed to run, hide and fight.
Here are our live updates as the incident unfolded and more details were released:
David Rose, the 33-year-old DeKalb County Police Officer shot and killed while responding to an active shooter near the campuses of Emory University and the CDC, had recently joined the police department.
In a statement, DeKalb Police said Rose joined the department in September 2024 and worked on the North Central Precinct. He responded to the scene on Friday and was later rushed to Emory University Hospital, where he died of his injuries.
Georgia P.O.S.T. records show Rose was previously employed by the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office as a jailer from August 2021 to September 2021 before he voluntarily resigned.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Rose had previously served in the U.S. Marines before joining the DeKalb Police department.
Teary-eyed parents clung to their young children late Friday after hours spent waiting for them to be released from lockdown at a CDC daycare center.
Ninety-two children were at the center when a gunman opened fire in the area a little before 5 p.m.
Nearly five hours later, the children were transported by bus to the nearby Clifton School, where their parents were waiting in the parking lot.
While the parents were anxious, some of the kids seemed excited by the new mode of transportation they’d just experienced.
“I rode on the bus!” one exclaimed.
Varun Rawat was reunited with his 2-year-old daughter but was deeply frustrated by how authorities had handled the process
“What is this if not incompetence?” he asked.
Rawat argued that once the area was cleared of danger, parents should have been permitted to enter the school to pick up their children, many of whom were only a few years old.
Instead, authorities chose to put the students on Emory University buses, a ride that Rawat described as an “unsafe distance in unsafe conditions.”
The DeKalb County Police Officer shot and killed on Friday responding to the active shooter near the campus of Emory University and the CDC has been identified as 33-year-old David Rose, a husband and father of two daughters, with a son on the way.
Rose graduated from the DeKalb Police Academy in March and had previously served in the U.S. Marines before joining the department, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement.
"Officer Rose bravely responded to the active shooter incident on Emory's campus and lost his life while protecting so many others," Dickens said.
Rose responded to the scene on Friday and was later rushed to Emory University Hospital where he died of his injuries.
"Officer Rose served DeKalb County with courage, integrity, and unwavering dedication. Even in the face of danger was he diligent in his duty to protect our community," the DeKalb Police department said in a statement.
Dickens offered his condolences to Rose's family, friends and colleagues at the DeKalb County Police Department.
"Officer Rose's passing is a stark reminder that every day, law enforcement officers put themselves in harm's way to protect others, and this dedication deserves our respect and gratitude," Dickens said.
Just before 10 p.m., about 80 people waited anxiously under street lights for their children to arrive from the day care center near the shooting site.
The center had arranged for the families to be reunited at the Clifton School. A bus pulled up with small children inside, and parents walked toward it.
Police told parents that four buses would transport their children. Parents walked by the bus windows, peering in to see if their child was inside. Some waved at their kids as the bus slowly drove further down the street.
Shortly after 9 p.m., newly confirmed CDC Director Susan Monarez sent a message to all employees. For the first time since the Trump administration’s DOGE initiative forced all agency workers back to the office, Monday will be a sitewide work-from-home day as the CDC evaluates security, Monarez said.
“The active shooter incident near our campus today has understandably brought fear, anger and worry to all of us. I want to express my deep appreciation for your professionalism and resilience during this time," she said.
Monarez said law enforcement is assessing the damage to CDC buildings and confirmed no employees were injured.
"As we navigate the aftermath of this event, we want to express our eternal gratitude to law enforcement personnel who were injured and share our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the DeKalb County police officer who was killed in the line of duty. I admire the bravery and dedication it takes to face these situations head on," she said.
A week ago, Andrew Glavan put his 1 1/2-year-old son in the day care center near the shooting site.
On Friday, just before 9 p.m., he waited for his wife to pick him up to take him to the reunification center where they could get their son. The children at the center had spent hours locked down.
He got a message around 5 p.m. that the school was on a lockdown. He works from home and drove as close as he could to day care and then started walking.
Asked how he’d been feeling, he said: “Pretty anxious, honestly. Now at this point I feel like I’m just tired and hungry. When do we get to see the kids?”
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia said he and his wife, Alisha Kramer, are praying for the family of the officer killed and those impacted by what he called an "attack."
"Tonight's shooting at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and near Emory University has shaken our community," he said.
In a statement, DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said she and her team had been in close contact with law enforcement throughout the situation, and they were devastated to hear the news of an officer’s death.
“My heart goes out to the officer’s family, friends and the DeKalb County community as we all mourn this tremendous loss,” she said.
Finn Jacobson, a rising sophomore at Emory University and a member of the varsity soccer team, was in a vehicle along Clifton Road when he heard the shots.
In the driver’s seat was teammate Benny Hayward, also a sophomore. The two were headed to a preseason practice.
“All of a sudden we hear some shots or some loud bangs, not knowing if it's shots or fireworks at first,” Jacobson said. “Eventually the shots keep getting faster and louder. And then I actually see a couple fly into the wall, and I see concrete spray.”
Jacobson said he tried his best to stay composed.
“I wasn't trying to freak out myself or Benny because he was driving, and I didn't want any accidents to happen,” he said.
Unsure of what to do, Hayward quickly pulled into a parking lot in front of a CVS to take cover.
The two found another person in the lot who confirmed shots had been fired.
“Pretty much as soon as we talked to that guy, everyone started leaving super fast and honking and making a huge scene. So at that point, we knew it was time to go,” Jacobson said.
Hayward and Jacobson eventually made their way to a QuikTrip down the road, passing police cars racing to the scene.
DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said it is a "dark day" for her county after an officer was killed while responding to an active shooter situation near Emory University and the CDC on Friday.
“This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father,” she said. “There is a mother and a father, as well as siblings, who also share in this traumatic loss.”
With the weight of sadness in her voice, the CEO asked the public to join in providing support for the officer’s family.
“My heart goes out to the family ... to our officers who, in this case, simply answered the call. These are individuals who run toward danger when we have the ability to run away,” she said. “We are here to support you.”
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