Suspected gunman and police officer dead in shooting near the CDC and Emory University, police say

ATLANTA (AP) — A man opened fire outside the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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 neighboring 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. He added that “we do not know at this time whether that was from officers or if it was self-inflicted.”

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’s motive is still unknown this early in the investigation, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said.

Officer David Rose was killed in the gunfire, the DeKalb County Police Department said in a Facebook post. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement that Rose served in the Marine Corps and graduated from the DeKalb Police Academy in March, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson struck at the emotions of the loss.

“This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father,” Cochran-Johnson said.

When the shooting began, staff at a nearby restaurant hunkered down and said they heard 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.

She then saw people running past her business. Two people paused to warn them of a shooter nearby.

When Anurag Mehta and his wife heard about the shooting, they tried to get to their 3-year-old son in a preschool near the CDC, but they were unable to approach.

“I was thinking that when I left for work this morning, was that the last time I saw my son?” said Mehta, who later learned his son was safe.

No CDC employees or visitors were harmed, Monarez said.

“As we navigate the aftermath of this event, we want to express our eternal gratitude to law enforcement personnel who were injured and share our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the Dekalb County Police Officer who was killed in the line of duty,” she wrote in an email sent to employees.

Monarez said Monday would be a remote workday so the agency could conduct a security assessment before people return to their offices. In her X post, she called the shooting an “attack on our Roybal Campus,” referring to the office complex.

The CDC and Emory's main campus 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 as a warning siren blared.

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 as well as the CDC campus. “Each time, brave first responders rushed toward the danger to subdue the shooter and save lives, reminding us of just how crucial they are.”

This story has been corrected to show the restaurant's name is spelled The General Muir, not General Miur, and that the campus is in northeast Atlanta.

——

Associated Press writers Safiyah Riddle, Russ Bynum, Mike Stobbe, Alanna Durkin Richer and Jesse Bedayn contributed.

Gwinnett County Police SWAT team members walk inside the scene of a shooting near the campuses of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (Ben Hendren/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks at a news conference following a shooting near the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University in Atlanta, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

A CVS employee is escorted by a police officer away from the scene of a shooting near the campuses of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Pedestrians comfort each other after a shooting near the campuses of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University, Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Atlanta. (Jenni Girtman/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Law enforcements stand outside the hospital emergency of Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A law enforcement personnel walks out of the hospital of Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Armed police officers walk near the scene of shooting at the Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

An armed Police officer prepares near the scene of shooting at the Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Police officers walk near the scene of shooting at the Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Police officers walk near the scene of shooting at the Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

An armed Police officer prepares near the scene of shooting at the Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

An Emergency Medical Service vehicle is seen near the scene of shooting at the Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Armed police officers walk near the scene of shooting at the Emory University in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters sign is seen behind a police line in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters sign is seen behind a police line in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

Emergency vehicles line up near Emory University and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

DeKalb County firefighters gather outside an Emory University medical building in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

Emergency vehicles line up near Emory University and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)

NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Troops from several European countries continued to arrive in Greenland on Thursday in a show of support for Denmark as talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted “fundamental disagreement” over the future of the Arctic island.

Denmark announced it would increase its military presence in Greenland on Wednesday as foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland were preparing to meet with White House representatives in Washington. Several European partners — including France, Germany, the U.K., Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands — started sending symbolic numbers of troops already on Wednesday or promised to do so in the following days.

The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to President Donald Trump that an American takeover of Greenland is not necessary as NATO together can safeguard the security of the Arctic region amid rising Russian and Chinese interest.

“The first French military elements are already en route” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise.

Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said.

On Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution,” according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from several NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotation system.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with Trump after they held highly anticipated talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rasmussen added that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland” but that dialogue with the U.S. would continue at a high level over the following weeks.

Inhabitants of Greenland and Denmark reacted with anxiety but also some relief that negotiations with the U.S. would go on and European support was becoming visible.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the continuation of “dialogue and diplomacy.”

“Greenland is not for sale,” he said Thursday. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”

In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, local residents told The Associated Press they were glad the first meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and American officials had taken place but suggested it left more questions than answers.

Several people said they viewed Denmark’s decision to send more troops, and promises of support from other NATO allies, as protection against possible U.S. military action. But European military officials have not suggested the goal is to deter a U.S. move against the island.

Maya Martinsen, 21, said it was “comforting to know that the Nordic countries are sending reinforcements” because Greenland is a part of Denmark and NATO.

The dispute, she said, is not about “national security” but rather about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”

On Wednesday, Poulsen announced a stepped-up military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a security environment in which “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”

“This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” Poulsen said.

Asked whether the European troop movements were coordinated with NATO or what role the U.S.-led military alliance might play in the exercises, NATO referred all questions to the Danish authorities. However, NATO is currently studying ways to bolster security in the Arctic.

The Russian embassy in Brussels on Thursday lambasted what it called the West's “bellicose plans” in response to “phantom threats that they generate themselves”. It said the planned military actions were part of an “anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda” by NATO.

“Russia has consistently maintained that the Arctic should remain a territory of peace, dialogue and equal cooperation," the embassy said.

Rasmussen announced the creation of a working group with the Americans to discuss ways to work through differences.

“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.

Commenting on the outcome of the Washington meeting on Thursday, Poulsen said the working group was “better than no working group” and “a step in the right direction.” He added nevertheless that the dialogue with the U.S. did not mean “the danger has passed.”

Speaking on Thursday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the American ambition to take over Greenland remains intact despite the Washington meeting, but she welcomed the creation of the working group.

The most important thing for Greenlanders is that they were directly represented at the meeting in the White House and that “the diplomatic dialogue has begun now,” Juno Berthelsen, a lawmaker for the pro-independence Naleraq opposition party, told AP.

A relationship with the U.S. is beneficial for Greenlanders and Americans and is “vital to the security and stability of the Arctic and the Western Alliance,” Berthelsen said. He suggested the U.S. could be involved in the creation of a coastguard for Greenland, providing funding and creating jobs for local people who can help to patrol the Arctic.

Line McGee, 38, from Copenhagen, told AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. “I don’t think the threat has gone away,” she said. “But I feel slightly better than I did yesterday.”

Trump, in his Oval Office meeting with reporters, said: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”

Niemann reported from Copenhagen, Denmark, and Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland.

Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

People walk on a street in Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

From center to right, Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, Denmark's Ambassador Jesper Møller Sørensen, rear, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, right, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with senators from the Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force taxis over the grounds at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 as troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. (Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP)

Fishermen load fishing lines into a boat in the harbor of Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with members of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)