Hundreds of police officers and health workers packed an Atlanta megachurch on Friday to mourn DeKalb County police officer David Rose, who was fatally shot two weeks ago at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) by a gunman reportedly influenced by anti-vaccine disinformation. The gunman opened fire with rifles near Emory University, and Rose responded before being killed; the assailant then took his own life.
During the service, an honor guard presented a folded US flag to Rose's toddler, who wore a shirt reading 'My Daddy Is a Hero'. Her mother, pregnant with Rose's third child, was unable to attend. The memorial drew officers from as far as New York City and Aurora, Colorado, alongside CDC staff and politicians including Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
Despite the tragedy, President Donald Trump has not publicly commented on the murder, nor has he contacted Rose's family, according to the officer's grandmother. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent vaccine conspiracy theorist, visited the CDC after the shooting but did not meet with frontline staff.
CDC employees expressed dismay at the lack of political outrage, contrasting it with the response to the murder of nursing student Laken Riley in 2024, which prompted swift condemnation from conservative politicians. One employee, speaking anonymously for fear of retaliation, described the attack: 'We thought there were many shooters. We had no idea what was going on.'
The gunman fired over 500 rounds into the building, leaving staff to navigate broken glass for days. Internal CDC communications omitted the anti-vaccination motive, and employees said the administration's silence has eroded their loyalty. 'We are loyal to our colleagues now, but not the government agency,' one said.
