A call about a gunman near the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended in tragedy late Friday afternoon, when a DeKalb County police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty.
🚨 Why It Matters: The loss of 33-year-old Officer David Rose is not just a wound to the police department, but to a young family now left without a husband and father. He leaves behind a wife, two children, and a third child on the way.
🔎 What Happened: Just before 5 p.m., officers responded to reports of shots fired near Clifton Road and CDC Parkway, an area that includes a daycare and several CDC buildings.
- Investigators say the suspect had fired at multiple buildings before officers arrived.
- More than 90 children were inside one of those buildings at the time. None were hurt.
- Officer Rose was rushed to Emory University Hospital but died from his injuries.
Interim Police Chief Greg Padrick said Rose “was committed to serving the community” and urged residents to keep his family and the department in their prayers.
📍 The Bigger Picture: The CDC campus went into lockdown during the incident. Federal and local agencies are now reviewing security at the site. Authorities are still investigating whether the suspect died from police gunfire or a self-inflicted wound.
The Sources: DeKalb County Police Department, Atlanta Police Department.
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Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
