Police officer dead after ‘antivax' shooter targets CDC headquarters
The gunman, dressed in black and armed with a long rifle, began firing at the the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) building in Atlanta soon after 4.30pm ET (9.30 BST), shooting out windows and prompting a lockdown of the surrounding area.
A DeKalb county police officer who responded to the shooting was critically injured and later died in hospital. The police department named him as David Rose, a former US marine who graduated from the police academy in March.
Susan Monarez, the director of the CDC, said the gunman opened fire on at least four buildings. 'A courageous local law enforcement officer gave his life, and another was injured,' she said in a post on X. 'We are actively coordinating with federal, state, and local partners to fully investigate the shooter and this tragic crime.'
The nearby Emory University issued an active shooter alert soon after the shooting began.
'Run. Hide. Fight,' the university posted to its X account, echoing the standard survival tactics taught by the FBI during an active shooter situation.
Officials said the suspect barricaded himself into the upper floor of a CVS pharmacy, across the road from the main entrance to the CDC campus.
About two hours after the shooting began, the Atlanta police department said the gunman had died. The authorities said it was unclear whether he killed himself or was shot by police returning fire.
After speaking to the suspect's family, police said that he believed he was sick and blamed his illness on the Covid-19 vaccine, according to CNN.
An area of approximately two square miles spanning Emory University, Emory Hospital and the main campus of the CDC in the northwestern suburbs of Atlanta was placed under lockdown for several hours.
A barrage of gunfire could be heard on videos posted to social media from near the scene.
In one video, eight gunshots ring out in quick succession, followed by another dozen shots.
Brandy Giraldo, who works at a nearby delicatessen, said the gunfire 'sounded like fireworks going off, one right after the other'.
An Atlanta police department vehicle near the scene appeared to have been hit by more than a dozen bullets on its windscreen and bonnet.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 6.35pm.
Andre Dickens, the Atlanta mayor, described the suspect as a white man who was known to police.
'To the men and women that work at the CDC, we know that you've had a tough go of it in the past year and my heart goes out to you,' he said.
Ninety-two children who were at a daycare centre on the CDC campus were being reunited with their parents, Dickens added.
On Wednesday an active-duty soldier opened fire at an Army post in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Quornelius Radford wounded five service members before he was subdued by witnesses and taken into custody.
'Twice this week, deranged criminals have targeted innocent Georgians,' Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, said in a post on X.
Kemp thanked the first responders who 'rushed toward the danger to subdue the shooter and save lives, reminding us of just how crucial they are'.
He said: 'We ask that you join us in holding them in our prayers, along with those harmed this evening near the CDC Centre.'
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