A shooting at Atlanta’s Emory University left one police officer – with a wife and children at home – dead, with the local force confirming one of their own had fallen
A shooting at a university has left one police officer – with a pregnant wife at home – dead.
Shots could be heard coming from near the Emory University campus near the US city of Atlanta on Friday (August 8). Intense gunfire could later be heard, resulting in the death of the police officer attending the scene.
During the horrific rampage, the shooter targeted the university – as well as the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters located nearby. Now, in a statement, the local police force has confirmed and identified the officer who tried to bring the situation under control and paid for it with his life.
DeKalb County Police Department said in a statement on Friday evening that one of its own had fallen whilst doing his job. They went on to publicly identify him as 33-year-old David Rose.
Speaking to the local media, interim chief of police Greg Padrick said: “He was committed to serving the community. At this time we’re asking for the community’s prayers for his family, his friends, his loved ones and the entire DeKalb County Police Department family.”
The Express US revealed that David Rose had only recently joined the force, having officially become a member of the team in September of 2024. A press release from the police force added that he was one of the first officers that arrived on the scene after the shooting first broke out.
It was during the shootout when David was critically injured by the gunman, and was rushed to the local hospital to be given immediate treatment for his injuries. However, despite the best efforts of medical staff, he was eventually pronounced dead a short time later.
The policeman is now survived by his two young children – as well as his pregnant wife. The police force is also feeling the weight of his loss, as the press release said: “Today is a tragic day for the officers, families and friends of the DeKalb County Police Department.
“One of our own lost his life in the line of duty, protecting his community,” the force went on to say. It comes as investigations are now underway as to how the shooting broke out.
No civilians are believed to have been hit or injured during the incident, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. However, in the wake of the attack, several bullets were seen to hit buildings around the campus of the disease control centre.
Employees working at the centre shared videos and photos from inside the building in the aftermath of the incident, show several windows with bullet holes clearly visible. Initial investigations found that the shooter had been carrying a long gun to carry out the attack.
An anonymous source working in the police force confirmed that the gunman was later found on the second floor of a building right across from the centre, and later died at the scene. Authorities carrying out enquiries later found a number of other firearms at the scene, indicating that the attack could have been bigger.
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