By Megan Sayles
AFRO Staff Writer
msayles@afro.com
A Georgia police officer was killed in the line of duty while confronting a gunman who opened fire near the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) building in Atlanta on Aug. 8. David Rose, a DeKalb County police officer, was shot and killed by a man who fired more than 500 rounds before fatally shooting himself.
Rose, only 33 years old, leaves behind his pregnant wife, two young children, his parents and siblings.
“This evening there’s a wife without a husband, three children— one unborn— without a father, and a mother and father, as well as siblings who also share in this traumatic loss,” said Dekalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson in an Aug. 9 statement. “My heart goes out to my DeKalb County family. Tonight, it is with profound sadness that I say to all frontline responders that we are here to support you. Let us join together to give the family of Officer Rose the support they need.”
Rose had recently graduated from the DeKalb County Police Academy in March. Prior to joining the department, he spent four years in the U.S. Marine Corps, which included a deployment to Afghanistan.
Since the incident, his family has started a GoFundMe to support them as they navigate his loss.
“Officer David Rose was more than a dedicated public servant— he was a loving father, a devoted husband, cherished brother and loyal friend,” wrote Mrs. Rose on the GoFundMe Page. “His kindness, courage and unwavering commitment to his family and community touched the lives of everyone who knew him.”
According to information from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the gunman had recently expressed suicidal thoughts, leading someone to contact police weeks before the incident. Investigators also discovered writings at the shooter’s home that disclosed his discontent with the COVID-19 vaccine.
Five firearms were recovered at the scene. No CDC employees or civilians were hurt.
The shooting comes at a time of rising hostility toward public health agencies, fueled in part by misinformation surrounding COVID-19 and other vaccines. A 2023 CDC report found that the share of U.S. health workers reporting harassment at work more than doubled from 2018 to 2022.
U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has come under fire for promoting vaccine skepticism, visited the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters on Aug. 11. There, he examined the damage done to several buildings.
He also privately met with Rose’s widow to offer his condolences.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic shooting at CDC’s Atlanta campus that took the life of officer David Rose,” wrote Kennedy in an Aug. 9 statement on X, formerly Twitter. “We stand with his wife and three children and the entire CDC family.”
“We know how shaken our public health colleagues feel today,” he continued. “No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.”
Great Job Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer & the Team @ AFRO American Newspapers Source link for sharing this story.
