Suspected gunman, police officer dead in shooting near US CDC and Emory University
Witnesses heard what sounded like a string of gunshots, and employees said bullets struck several CDC buildings
A man opened fire outside the headquarters of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta on Friday, leaving bullet marks in windows across the sprawling campus and killing a police officer before he was found dead in a nearby building, authorities said.
The attack, which unfolded near neighbouring Emory University, prompted a massive law enforcement response to one of the nation’s most prominent public health institutions, but no one else was reported to be injured.
At least four CDC buildings were hit, Director Susan Monarez said in a post on X. Images shared by employees showed multiple agency buildings with bullet-pocked windows, underscoring the breadth of the damage to a site where thousands of scientists and staff work on critical disease research.
The gunman was found on the second floor of a building across the street from the CDC campus and died at the scene, Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said. “We do not know at this time whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted,” he added.
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 authorised to discuss the ongoing investigation.