A police officer was killed Friday afternoon when a gunman unleashed a barrage of gunfire outside the CDC headquarters near Emory University in Atlanta. The suspect, described as a white male, died at the scene from an as-yet-undetermined gunshot wound.
Authorities say the attack began around 4:50 p.m. when the shooter entered a building housing a CVS at Emory Point. He fired multiple rounds toward law enforcement and the CDC campus, which also contains a daycare with 92 children.
The slain officer, a married father of three with another child on the way, was rushed to a hospital but did not survive.
Shooter’s Motive
Family members told police the suspect believed a COVID-19 vaccine caused an illness he was suffering from. Officials have not released his identity.
Campus Lockdown and Chaos
Emory University issued an emergency alert urging students to “RUN” and “HIDE” as gunfire erupted. Social media videos captured rapid bursts of shots as police swarmed the scene.
Photos showed bullet holes in the CDC building and a police cruiser riddled with a dozen rounds through its windshield and hood.
By 6:30 p.m., the lockdown was lifted. No other civilians were injured.
Official Reactions
“This evening, there is a wife without a husband… and three children, one unborn, without a father,” said DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson.
Georgia AG Chris Carr called the incident “horrifying,” while Rep. Mike Collins said he was “praying for a swift end to this threat.”
