Gunman Kills US Police Officer Near CDC Headquarters

Gunman opened fire near the headquarters of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, killing a police officer before being found dead minutes later.

No civilians were killed or physically injured, but multiple gunshots rang out on the CDC campus. “Officers arrived – found a critically injured DeKalb County police officer that was down,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters.

The fallen officer was identified as 33-year-old David Rose of the DeKalb County Police Department, who leaves behind a pregnant wife and two children.

Police have not released the attacker’s identity. Schierbaum said it was too early to comment on reports from CNN and The New York Times that the gunman blamed the COVID-19 vaccine for an illness and that his father had earlier warned police he was suicidal.

The incident began just before 5:00 pm local time (2100 GMT) near the CDC campus and a nearby pharmacy. The gunman, believed to have acted alone, was later found dead on the second floor of a CVS store with a gunshot wound, possibly self-inflicted.

“The shooter is deceased, and we don’t have any civilians that have been shot in this active shooter incident,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens confirmed.

During the chaos, 92 children were evacuated from a daycare on the CDC campus and taken to a nearby school to reunite with their families. “We at @CDCgov are heartbroken by today’s attack on our Roybal Campus,” CDC director Susan Monarez posted on X, praising the “courageous” officer who died in the line of duty.

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp honoured those “who answer the call to serve and who protect their fellow Georgians,” and urged prayers for “those harmed this evening near the CDC Center.”