ATLANTA — Family, friends and community members gathered Friday at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta to remember DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose.
The ceremony comes one day before the one-year anniversary of the shooting that killed Rose while he was responding to an active shooter at the CDC campus.
A memorial plaque honoring Rose was unveiled outside the CDC’s main campus.
“We remember him as a devoted father, a beloved son of an Emory Healthcare employee and a dedicated officer who exemplified the highest standards of professionalism, compassion, and commitment to others,” Burt Buchtinec said during the ceremony.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended the dedication, joining family, friends and colleagues in honoring Rose’s service and sacrifice.
Following the ceremony, Kennedy was scheduled to hold a fireside chat with CDC staff.
Before the anniversary, Kennedy called the attack “a reminder of the very human challenges public servants sometimes face, even in places dedicated to healing and progress.”
In a statement posted on X after last year’s shooting, Kennedy also wrote, “We know how shaken our public health colleagues feel today. No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others.”