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A shooting near the Emory University campus and just outside the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta on Friday left two people dead and bullet marks in windows across the sprawling campus. A police officer was killed, and the suspected shooter was found dead in a nearby building, authorities said.
No one else was reported injured.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation on Saturday identified the gunman as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, of Kennesaw, Georgia. His motive is still unknown this early in the investigation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said on Friday.
Map shows area of shooting
The shooting began just before 5 p.m. directly across the main entrance to the CDC campus.
The attack, which unfolded near neighboring Emory University, prompted a massive law enforcement response to one of the nation’s most prominent public health institutions. At least four CDC buildings were hit, Director Susan Monarez said in a post on X.
Yasin Demirci/Anadolu via Getty Images
“Active shooter on Emory Atlanta Campus at Emory Point CVS. RUN, HIDE, FIGHT. Avoid the area. Continue shelter in place. Police on scene,” said a statement from the university.
The shelter in place was lifted a little after 6:30 p.m.
When the shooting began, staff at a nearby restaurant hunkered down and said they heard a string of gunshots. “It sounded like fireworks going off, one right after the other,” said Brandy Giraldo, the chief operating officer of The General Muir restaurant.
She then saw people running past her business. Two people paused to warn them of a shooter nearby.
The gunman was found on the second floor of a building across the street from the CDC campus, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. He added that “we do not know at this time whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted.”
The shooter was armed with a long gun, and authorities recovered three other firearms at the scene, a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation, told the AP.
Police officer killed
Officer David Rose was killed in the gunfire, the DeKalb County Police Department said in a Facebook post.
“This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father,” DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson said.
Dekalb County Police Department 
Interim Chief Greg Padrick of the DeKalb County Police Department said Rose was “committed to serving the community.”
FBI Director Kash Patel called Rose a hero who “made the ultimate sacrifice.”
“Pray for the family, friends, and colleagues of this hero who acted quickly to defend others and made the ultimate sacrifice,” Patel said in a post on X.
No CDC employees or visitors were harmed, Monarez said.
“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,” she wrote in an email sent to employees.
The presidents of Emory University on Saturday thanked law enforcement officials for their swift response that “enabled a well-coordinated, multi-agency team to confront a threat and keep our community safe.”
“In putting themselves in harm’s way to keep each of us safe, they put our community first with incredible bravery and selflessness,” Leah Ward Sears, Interim President-Elect and Gregory L. Fenves, President and Chancellor-Elect, said in an email sent to Emory students and staff.
Gov. Brian Kemp praised the efforts of first responders.
“Twice this week, deranged criminals have targeted innocent Georgians,” Kemp said, referring to the shooting at Fort Stewart as well as the CDC campus. “Each time, brave first responders rushed toward the danger to subdue the shooter and save lives, reminding us of just how crucial they are.”
Investigation ongoing
Law enforcement is still piecing together what led to the shooting and expects the investigation will go on for an extended period of time, the GBI said Saturday.
Monarez said Monday would be a remote workday so the agency could conduct a security assessment before people return to their offices. In her X post, she called the shooting an “attack on our Roybal Campus,” referring to the office complex.
The CDC and Emory’s main campus are surrounded by affluent wooded neighborhoods in northeast Atlanta. All three institutions line up along Clifton Road. The area is hard to access, and notoriously traffic-choked, but on Friday, few cars were in evidence as a warning siren blared.
