Live updates: Shooter appeared to target CDC headquarters in shooting that left police officer dead, sources say | CNN

Atlanta shooting - August 8, 2025

Aditi Sangal Tori B. Powell Elizabeth Wolfe John Miller Ryan Young Dalia Faheid
By Aditi Sangal, Zoe Sottile, Tori B. Powell, Elizabeth Wolfe, Taylor Romine, John Miller, Ryan Young and Dalia Faheid, CNN
Updated 6:57 AM EDT, Sat August 9, 2025
The officer who was shot while responding to the active shooter incident on Emory University campus has died, according to a law enforcement official. The shooter is also dead.
Video Ad Feedback
'He never had a chance': CNN reporter describes officer's harrowing encounter with shooter
01:03 • Source: CNN

What we're covering

• Atlanta shooting: A police officer was killed during an active shooter incident adjacent to the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, authorities said. He was later named as a married father of two. The shooter is also dead, according to authorities.

• Targeting the CDC: Police are operating under the theory that the gunman was either sick or believed that he was sick and blamed the illness on the Covid-19 vaccine, a law enforcement official told CNN. An employee at the CDC, which is near Emory, told CNN he saw a man approach agency’s HQ and shoot at the building.

• “Like fireworks”: Staff working at a nearby deli heard gunshots and locked themselves inside, the AP reported. “It sounded like fireworks going off, one right after the other,” one person said.

46 Posts

Our coverage of this incident has now concluded.

You can catch-up with developments by scrolling below and you can read a full round-up of what we know so far, here.

Witness describes chaos at the initial moments of shooting

From CNN's Ruben Correa

Randy Gold was leaving an elevator at Emory Hospital and rolling to the exit with his father, just discharged on a wheelchair, when they encountered doctors, nurses and valet parkers running toward them and “screaming there was an active shooter.”

At that point, Gold told CNN, nobody knew where that was happening, but they all went into sheltering mode. “We sort of ducked,” he said.

Gold said he and about five or six people were sheltered in the hospital’s radiology reading room.

The only information they had at that moment was that the entire hospital was in lockdown, and what they learned while watching CNN as the incident developed.

Officer killed in Atlanta shooting identified

From CNN's Devon Sayers and Taylor Romine
Police officer David Rose who was shot and killed during Friday's shooting on Emory University's campus.
Police officer David Rose who was shot and killed during Friday's shooting on Emory University's campus.
DeKalb County Police

The officer who was shot and killed near the CDC Atlanta campus Friday was identified as David Rose, 33, the DeKalb County Police Department said in a news release.

Rose was shot as he was responding to the incident and was taken to nearby Emory University Hospital, where he died of his injuries, the release said.

Rose joined the department in September 2024 and leaves behind a wife and two children, with another on the way, the release said.

CDC sends text to employees saying Atlanta campus given all-clear

From CNN's Travis Nichols and Taylor Romine

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent a text message to employees saying the Atlanta campus was given an all-clear and the lockdown was lifted, according to a CDC employee who received the message.

All Atlanta-area CDC campuses will be closed until further notice, the message said.

FBI Director Kash Patel says fallen officer "made the ultimate sacrifice"

From CNN's Dalia Faheid
FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 8, 2025.
FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 8, 2025.
Jose Luis Magana/AP

FBI Director Kash Patel said the law enforcement officer who was killed today after a shooter fired on at least four buildings was a hero who “made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Some context: The police officer, whose name has not been released, leaves behind a pregnant wife and two children. Police cannot confirm why the police officer was present on site but are investigating.

CDC director honors fallen officer after shooter opened fire on four buildings

From CNN's Samantha Waldenberg and Taylor Romine

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention honored the law enforcement officer who was killed today after a shooter fired on at least four buildings.

She thanked local law enforcement and security for acting “immediately and decisively” to respond to the threat.

CNN has reached out to law enforcement for more information on the injured person.

Here's what we know so far about the Georgia shooting that killed a police officer

From CNN staff
A woman wearing hospital scrubs is seen among a group of people near the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Friday.
A woman wearing hospital scrubs is seen among a group of people near the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Friday.
Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

A police officer has died after a gunman opened fire near Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today in Georgia.

Here’s what we know so far from law enforcement and other officials:

The victim:

The shooter:

  • There was one single alleged shooter involved in this event, who is now dead.
  • The shooter had multiple guns – two hand guns, one rifle and one shotgun – and was wearing what a law enforcement official on the scene described as looking like a surgical mask.
  • According to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, the alleged shooter “is a known person that may have some interest in certain things that I can’t reiterate right now with any confidence until the investigation is fully conducted.”
  • The alleged shooter’s father called law enforcement before the shooting to report he believed his son was suicidal. It was not immediately clear how much time had elapsed between the call and the shooting.

Nearby day care:

  • All 92 children who were in a day care on the CDC campus near the shooting are safe.
  • Officials are working with the CDC to set up a reunification location in the area for children and their parents.

The investigation:

  • The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is going to take the lead on the investigation of this shooting, public affairs executive director Chata M. Spikes said.

CNN’s Tori B. Powell, Elizabeth Wolfe, Ryan Young, Aditi Sangal contributed to this post.

Shooter was wearing what resembled a surgical mask, source says

From CNN's Ryan Young

The shooter had multiple guns – two hand guns, one rifle and one shotgun – and was wearing what a law enforcement official on the scene described as looking like a surgical mask.

The shooter also had multiple rounds of magazines with him and was wearing ear protection, the official said. As law enforcement arrived on the scene to confront him, the shooter fired directly at an officer’s car, the official added.

Slain officer is grieved by his pregnant wife and children

From CNN's Elizabeth Wolfe

The police officer who was killed in Friday’s shooting leaves behind a pregnant wife and two children, DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said.

“This evening, there is a wife without a husband. 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,” Cochran-Johnson said.

Authorities are not releasing the officer’s name at this time.

“Let’s join together to give this family the support it needs during this traumatic loss,” she added.

Officials are not releasing the name of deceased officer at this time

From CNN's Tori B. Powell

Officials are not releasing the name of the police officer killed in today’s shooting, Interim Chief of the DeKalb County Police Department Greg Padrick said at 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.”

CNN reporter discusses the police investigation into the shooter's motive

From CNN staff
pic.jpg
CNN reporter explains why law enforcement will investigate shooter's motive
01:06 • Source: CNN

CDC employee says he saw man approach steps, pull out rifle and shoot at building

From CNN's Francesca Hoffman and John King

A CDC employee told CNN he was driving home from work when he saw a man approach the steps of a building at the agency’s campus, put a backpack down and shoot at the building.

The shooting was “certainly targeted” at the CDC, the employee said. The gunman seemed to be shooting at CDC’s Building 21, according to the employee, who said he first thought the man was pulling fishing gear from his backpack.

The employee said he thinks he saw the shooter pull two rifles from the bag. He heard at least six or seven shots and called 911 from his car, he told CNN.

Then he drove further down the road and called his wife to make sure his children – who attend day care at the CDC campus – were safe. His wife had picked up the children just 10 minutes before the shooting began, he said.

He continued hearing shots “for several minutes” after calling his wife.

“We have friends and their kids who were on lockdown,” he said. “I have very close colleagues who were locked down in the office at CDC, you know, cowering or sort of sheltering in place.”

The CDC building is adjacent to the Emory University campus in Atlanta.

Alleged shooter "is a known person" to officials, Atlanta mayor says

From CNN’s Tori B. Powell

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the alleged shooter in today’s incident “is a known person that may have some interest in certain things that I can’t reiterate right now with any confidence until the investigation is fully conducted.”

It is unclear why the officer involved in the active shooter incident was present on site, police say

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

The Atlanta Police Department cannot confirm why the police officer involved in the shooting incident was present on site.

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

“We can’t confirm that our officer was responding to the threat of the active shooter,” another official said.

CDC employees "had a tough go of it in the past year," Atlanta mayor says

From CNN's Zoe Sottile and Brenda Goodman
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks during a press conference on Friday.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks during a press conference on Friday.
CNN

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at today’s news conference that CDC employees have “had a tough go of it in the past year” after an active shooter incident prompted a lockdown Friday. Sources have told CNN that the shooter appeared to target the CDC.

“My heart goes out to you,” the mayor said. “We are with you. We stand with you, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure that we bring resolve to the situation.”

He referenced the “uncertainty” around CDC staff’s employment following massive workforce cuts at federal health agencies. The agency has lost nearly a quarter of its staff since January. The Trump administration’s proposed budget for the fiscal year 2026 would slash the agency’s funding by more than half. And under a proposed reorganization, the CDC stands to lose more of its programs: Some are set to be moved to a new Administration for a Healthy America while others, such as the National Center for Chronic Disease and Health Promotion, would be eliminated altogether.

Photos: Bullets fractured CDC building windows

From CNN's Taylor Galgano
signal-2025-08-08-184501.jpg
Obtained by CNN
signal-2025-08-08-184506.jpg
Obtained by CNN

Photos shared with CNN by a CDC employee show bullet holes and cracked glass windows at one of the CDC’s buildings on Friday.

The CDC Atlanta campus was on lockdown following the shooting on Friday, a CDC source familiar with the situation told CNN.

Alleged shooter's father told law enforcement he believed his son was suicidal before today's shooting, official says

From CNN's Mark Morales

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.

It was not immediately clear how much time had elapsed between the call and the shooting.

Editor’s note: If you are in the US and you or a loved one have contemplated suicide, call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to connect with a trained counselor. If you’re a first responder, call the CopLine at 1-800-267-5463.

Outside the US, a worldwide directory of resources and international hotlines is provided by the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and you can turn to Befrienders Worldwide.

Police believe, after speaking with shooter's family, that CDC was the target

From CNN's John Miller

After speaking with the suspected shooter’s family members, police are operating under the theory that he was either sick or believed that he was sick and blamed the illness on the Covid-19 vaccine, a law enforcement official told CNN.

Multiple rounds were fired “we believe at law enforcement and potentially the CDC,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a news conference, but he added they are still investigating the situation.

still_21851591_2150610_still-1.jpg
Google Earth

All 92 children in nearby daycare are safe, mayor says

From CNN’s Tori B. Powell

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the 92 children who are in a daycare on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention campus are all safe.

Officials are working with the CDC to set up a reunification location in the area for children and their parents, he added.

Police found shooter on the second floor of the CVS struck by gunfire, chief says

From CNN’s Aditi Sangal

Atlanta Police found the shooter on the second floor of a CVS and he had been struck by gunfire, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters this evening.

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