A suspected gunman and a police officer are dead after law enforcement responded to reports of an active shooter near the adjoining campuses of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University on Friday, authorities said.
No civilians are believed to have been injured, but several rounds hit buildings on the CDC's sprawling campus, said Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.
The officer who died “received gunfire” during the shooting, DeKalb County interim Police Chief Gregory Padrick said. Officials earlier said that the officer was critically injured at the scene and taken to the hospital.
The officer's name was not released but officials say he leaves behind a pregnant wife and two children.
CDC employees circulated photos from inside the buildings that appear to show numerous windows with bullet impacts in them.
The shooter was armed with a long gun, and authorities recovered three other firearms at the scene, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
The gunman was found on the second floor of a building across the street from the CDC and died at the scene, Schierbaum said.
“We do not know at this time whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted,” Schierbaum said. A white car with an open truck was part of the crime scene and is being searched, he added, but it's still unclear if it belonged to the suspect.
Authorities said there is no longer a threat to the public. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the man's motive is not known because the investigation is still in the “preliminary stages.”
Staff at a nearby deli said they heard what sounded like 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.
Emory University announced in a post on X that the shelter-in-place order on campus had been lifted, but asked people to avoid the area. By around 6 p.m., a warning siren repeatedly sounded near the Emory and CDC campuses, as law enforcement vehicles parked throughout the streets.
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. “Each time, brave first responders rushed toward the danger to subdue the shooter and save lives, reminding us of just how crucial they are.”
Emory’s main campus, Emory University Hospital and the CDC 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.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said “we’re horrified by the news out of Emory University and praying for the safety of the entire campus community."
This story has been updated.
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