emory

Aug. 9 (UPI) — The suspected gunman in the attack that killed a police officer near the Emory University campus and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s headquarters was identified Saturday morning.

One day after the shooting on Friday night, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that Patrick Joseph White, 30, of Kennesaw, Ga., was the killer.

WXIA-TV posted video from outside the home of the suspected shooter on Friday night where there was crime scene tape.

GBI is the lead investigator, and has been working with the Atlanta, DeKalb County and Emory police, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Emory, with an enrollment of 5,727, was on lockdown for a few hours, while the CDC had a shelter in place order at its Roybal Campus until the late evening. The school said Saturday there will be increased police presence throughout the weekend.

David Rose, a 33-year-old police officer for the DeKalb department, died while responding to the shooting. Rose, who joined the department in September and was a retired U.S. Marine, had two children with his wife, who is pregnant.

“This officer responded to the call as he did, as he was trained to do, and during that incident he received gunfire and he lost his life in this incident,” interim Police Chief Gregory Padrick said. “He was committed to serving the community. It’s a noble profession we all do. We answer the call to serve our community and he gave his life with a commitment to serve others.”

Rose was the only person shot during the attack, which started just before 5 p.m. at the Emory Point CVS drugstore on Clifton Road. White was found dead from a gunshot wound on the second floor. It wasn’t disclosed whether he was shot by law enforcement or whether it was self-inflicted.

The shooting occurred across the street from the CDC campus, where there were bullet holes in windows and shattered glass on the floor. Some rounds of ammunition also flew just above office cubicles.

CDC Director Susan Monerez told employees to work remotely while a “security assessment” is conducted at the campus.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Friday the suspect was “known to have some interest in certain things that I can’t reiterate right now with any confidence until the investigation is fully conducted.”

CNN reported the shooter was upset about health problems blamed on the Covid-19 vaccine recommended by the CDC and approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 2020 with Emergency Use Authorization and full approval for certain ages in 2021 for Pfizer-BioNTech and in 2022 for Moderna.

Aug. 8 (UPI) — The suspected shooter on Emory University’s campus and near the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters is dead and a DeKalb County officer responding to the incident was killed Friday, authorities said.

The shooting occurred before 5 p.m. EDT at Emory Point CVS, which is part of a shopping center of restaurants, shops and apartments where some students live, CNN reported. No civilians were injured, police said.

Police believe the unnamed suspect targeted the CDC because of unhappiness with the Covid-19 vaccine, CNN reported. He reportedly was wearing a surgical mask, and possessed two handguns, one rifle and a shotgun.

Late Friday, the officer was identified as 33-year-old David Rose, married and the father of two, interim DeKalb County Police Department Chief Greg Padrick said in a news conference.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the loss of the life of one of our very own DeKalb County police officers,” Padrick said. “This officer responded to the call as he was trained to do, and during that incident, he received gunfire and he lost his life in this incident. He was committed to serving the community.”

He started with the agency in September 2024 after graduating from the police academy.

“This evening there is a wife without a husband,” DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said. “There are three children, one unborn, without a father.

“There is a mother and a father, as well as siblings, who also share in this traumatic loss.”

The Atlanta Police Department can’t confirm why the police officer was present in its jurisdiction.

“It’s not uncommon for patrol patterns to cross multiple jurisdictions that may share the space,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters. “Was he going to work? Was he coming home from work? We don’t know if he was on patrol.”

Schierbaum said multiple rounds struck four nearby CDC buildings, including windows.

The police chief said 911 calls about an active shooting were received around 4:50 p.m. in front of the CDC campus.

Responding officers found the critically injured DeKalb County officer.

The suspect died on the second floor of the CVS of gunshot wounds, police said. An official told CNN that the shooter fired at an officer’s cruiser.

“We do not know at this time if it was an officer’s or if it was self-inflicted,” Schierbaum said.

A shelter-in-place was lifted late Friday at the CDC with CDC buildings closed until further notice, according to a message to employees.

“We at CDC are heartbroken by today’s attack on our Roybal Campus, which remains on lockdown as authorities investigate the shooting,” CDC Director Susan Monarez posted on X.

She said the CDC is cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation.

At 5:31 p.m., Emory’s Office of Critical Events Preparedness and Response instructed people to shelter in place on the private college’s campus.

About one hour later, a DeKalb County official said the situation was contained and there was no active threat, NBC News reported. But county residents should remain indoors as a precaution during the investigation.

Police said there was a single shooter.

The father of the alleged shooter’s father called law enforcement before the shooting to report that he believed his son was suicidal, a law enforcement official told CNN.

A CDC employee told CNN a man approached the steps of a building at the agency’s campus, put a backpack down, pulled out a rifle, and shot at the building.

Chris Weaver told WXIA that he believed he heard the shots.

“I was stunned at first,” he said, adding he thought he was safe.

The FBI sent agents to assist local law enforcement. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.

This was the second shooting in Georgia this week.

On Wednesday, an active-duty soldier opened fire at Fort Stewart, injuring five service members. The suspected shooter was taken into custody.

Fort Stewart, which is part of the Savannah metropolitan area, is 243 miles southeast from Emory.

Gov. Brian Kemp posted on X: “Twice this week, deranged criminals have targeted innocent Georgians. Each time, brave first responders rushed toward the danger to subdue the shooter and save lives, reminding us of just how crucial they are.”

Emory is a liberal arts research university with enrollment of 5,727.

Aug. 8 (UPI) — The suspected shooter on Emory University’s downtown Atlanta campus on Friday is dead and a DeKalb County officer responding to the incident was killed, authorities said.

The shooting occurred before 5 p.m. EDT at Emory Point CVS, which is part of a shopping center of restaurants, shops and apartments where some students live, CNN reported. No civilians were injured, police said.

Police believe the suspected shooter targeted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because he believes the Covid-19 vaccine made him sick, and it was approved by the agency, a law enforcement official told CNN.

The unnamed officer, married and father of three, died from his injuries, interim DeKalb County Police Department Chief Greg Padrick said.

“He was committed to serving the community. At this time we are asking for the community’s prayers,” Padrick said at a news conference. “It’s a noble profession we all do. We answer the call to serve our community and he gave his life to a commitment to serve others.”

“This evening there is a wife without a husband,” DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said. “There are three children, one unborn, without a father.

“There is a mother and a father, as well as siblings, who also share in this traumatic loss.”

The Atlanta Police Department can’t confirm why the police officer was present in its jurisdiction.

“It’s not uncommon for patrol patterns to cross multiple jurisdictions that may share the space,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters. “Was he going to work? Was he coming home from work? We don’t know if he was on patrol.”

Schierbaum said multiple rounds struck four nearby Centers for Disease Control and Prevention buildings.

The police chief said 911 calls about an active shooting were received around 4:50 p.m. in front of the CDC campus.

Responding officers found the critically injured DeKalb County officer.

The suspect died on the second floor of the CVS of gunshot wounds, police said.

“We do not know at this time if it was an officer’s or if it was self-inflicted,” Schierbaum said

A shelter-in-place remained in effect late Friday at the CDC, which is a mile from the Emory campus.

“We at CDC are heartbroken by today’s attack on our Roybal Campus, which remains on lockdown as authorities investigate the shooting,” CDC Director Susan Monarez said in a statement.

She said the CDC is cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation.

At 5:31 p.m., Emory’s Office of Critical Events Preparedness and Response instructed people to shelter in place on the private college’s campus.

About one hour later, a DeKalb County official said the situation was contained and there was no active threat, NBC News reported. But county residents should remain indoors as a precaution during the investigation.

Police said there was a single shooter.

The father of the alleged shooter’s father called law enforcement before the shooting to report that he believed his son was suicidal, a law enforcement official told CNN.

A CDC employee told CNN a man approached the steps of a building at the agency’s campus, put a backpack down, pulled out a rifle, and shot at the building.

Chris Weaver told WXIA that he believed he heard the shots.

“I was stunned at first,” he said, adding he thought he was safe.

The FBI sent agents to assist local law enforcement. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation.

This was the second shooting in Georgia in the past week.

On Wednesday, an active-duty soldier opened fire at Fort Stewart, injuring five service members. The suspected shooter was taken into custody.

Fort Stewart, which is part of the Savannah metropolitan area, is 243 miles southeast from Emory.

Gov. Brian Kemp posted on X: “Twice this week, deranged criminals have targeted innocent Georgians. Each time, brave first responders rushed toward the danger to subdue the shooter and save lives, reminding us of just how crucial they are.”

Emory is a liberal arts research university with enrollment of 5,727.

Those on campus were advised to ‘run, hide, fight’ as police responded to an active shooter situation near the CDC.

Police in the United States have responded to an active shooting incident on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, that injured one police officer and resulted in the suspect’s death.

In an alert sent on Friday, students were told to “RUN, HIDE, FIGHT” and avoid the area close to the nearby Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

At 6:43pm local time (22:43 GMT), the Atlanta Police Department confirmed that the shooter had been killed, though it continued to advise staying away from the crime scene.

“There is no ongoing threat to the Emory campus or the surrounding neighborhood,” the police department said in a statement. “The incident involved a single shooter who is now deceased. One law enforcement officer was injured in the course of the response.”

It was not immediately clear whether anyone else was hurt in the shooting.

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said authorities were “praying for the safety of the entire campus community”.

“We’re horrified by the news out of Emory University and praying for the safety of the entire campus community,” he said.

Emory Emergency: Active shooter on Emory Atlanta Campus at Emory Point CVS. RUN, HIDE, FIGHT. Avoid the area. Continue shelter in place. Police on scene.

— EMORY_CEPAR (@EMORY_CEPAR) August 8, 2025

In a post on the social media platform X, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp decried the shooting, noting it was the second high-profile shooting in the state this week.

On Wednesday, an army sergeant opened fire at Fort Stewart, an army base in eastern Georgia, injuring five fellow soldiers. No one was killed in the attack, and a suspect, 28-year-old Quornelius Radford, was taken into custody.

“Twice this week, deranged criminals have targeted innocent Georgians,” Kemp wrote on X.

“We ask that you join us in holding them in our prayers, along with those harmed this evening near the CDC Center,” he said.

Senator Raphael Warnock, who represents the state of Georgia in the US Congress, also offered his condolences.

“I’m praying for the officer who was injured, and all students and faculty. I am devastated that our community is facing yet another tragedy of gun violence,” he wrote on social media.