Suspect in Emory University shooting dead after opening fire at CDC building, killing one police officer

A shooter, who reportedly believed he was sick from the COVID-19 vaccine, is dead after a man opened fire at Emory University, near the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters. A police officer who was critically wounded responding to the shooting later died in the hospital.

The shooting unfolded on an Atlanta street corner Friday afternoon when gunfire rang out at a CVS on the university’s campus. The lone shooter fired multiple rounds through the windows of the CDC building across the street.

Mayor Andre Dickens said at a Friday night press conference there were 92 children in a daycare on the CDC campus during the shooting. The children were unhurt but were only able to be reunited with their parents hours later.

Dickens told the parents of those daycare children, “We will be making sure that you get reunited with them as soon as possible.“

“I know your heart is just really, really aching, but the good news is none of them have been injured, and we will get you connected to those, to your loved ones really soon,” he added.

The mother of one of the children who was at the daycare told CBS News, "I'm also a bit angry that at a year and a half, he would have to experience something like this.”

Police believe the shooter was either sick or believed he was sick and blamed the COVID-19 shot, a law enforcement official told CNN.

The shooter was found on the second floor of the CVS and died at the scene, according to authorities. He had been struck by gunfire, but it’s not clear if he had been hit by one of the police officers responding or if the fatal wound was self-inflicted.

Authorities revealed that the officer who was killed was a father of two whose wife is expecting their third child.

No civilians were shot.

"He was committed to serving the community. At this time we are asking for the community's prayers," Interim Chief Greg Padrick of DeKalb County Police Department said of the slain officer, who has yet to be named.

Padrick continued: "It's a noble profession we all do. We answer the call to serve our community and he gave his life to a commitment to serve others."

While there was no longer a threat to the community, police warned people Friday evening to avoid the area, “as the scene remains active and law enforcement continues its investigation.”

Employees at a nearby deli, General Muir’s, heard gunshots, Brandy Giraldo, the deli’s chief operating officer, told the Associated Press.

“It sounded like fireworks going off, one right after the other,” she said.

During the active shooter threat, the university told students to “run, hide, fight.”

A spokesperson for CVS said no one inside the Emory Point store was injured in the shooting.

"We’re cooperating with the Atlanta Police Department as it investigates a shooting near our Emory Point store,” the spokesperson told NBC News. “All colleagues, customers and patients are safe. The store is currently closed and will reopen when the scene is cleared.”

A reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution who was on the scene wrote on X that more than 50 police cars were present, and many officers were carrying rifles and tactical gear.

The university announced a shelter-in-place order had been lifted at around 6:30 p.m. ET.

“A police emergency continues on the Emory Atlanta Campus at Emory Point. Avoid the area,” an X post read.

As of around 7:30 p.m., the CDC remained under lockdown, according to CNN and NBC News.

Dickens denounced gun violence, saying, “Mass shootings, active shooter scenarios should not become the norm.”

“For individuals with these high-powered weapons that may have mental challenges, or those individuals with high powered weapons and are angry when they choose to use those weapons in a way that harms multiple people — we have to put an end to that in our society,” he said.

The mayor was vague when speaking about the shooter and his possible motives.

“He is a known person that may have some interests in certain things, that I can’t reiterate right know with any confidence until the investigation is fully conducted,” Dickens said.

He added: “But I think in short order you’ll know more about this individual and some assumptions about his motives, but I can’t say right now.”

Earlier it was reported by CNN that members of the suspect’s family said he may have believed he had been made ill by a COVID-19 vaccine. The network also reported that the man’s father had phoned police before the shooting to say that he feared his son was suicidal.

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson told reporters Friday night, “Today is a very dark day.”

“This evening there is a wife without a husband,” she said of the slain officer. “There are three children, one unborn, without a father.”

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote on X of the slain officer, “Pray for the family, friends, and colleagues of this hero who acted quickly to defend others and made the ultimate sacrifice. The FBI will offer them our full support.”

Several Georgia officials also responded to the active shooter threat as the incident was unfolding.

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, wrote on X, “I’m monitoring the active shooter incident at Emory closely.

“I’m praying for the officer who was injured, and all students and faculty. I am devastated that our community is facing yet another tragedy of gun violence.”

Representative Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican, wrote: “Students at Emory please take cover. Praying for a swift end to this threat.”

Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr wrote: “We’re horrified by the news out of Emory University and praying for the safety of the entire campus community.

“We stand ready to assist our law enforcement partners with whatever they may need.”