Emory community updates on Aug. 8 incident

Aug. 9, 2025

9:58 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025

The Emory Police Department shared the following update this morning:

Emory’s Atlanta campus will have an increased police presence throughout the weekend. Officers from the Emory Police Department and the Georgia Tech Police Department will be patrolling as an added safety measure.

7:58 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025

Dear Emory Community,

We write this morning to update you on the shooting that transpired adjacent to our Atlanta campus yesterday afternoon.

At approximately 4:50 p.m., multiple law enforcement agencies were notified of a “shots fired” call at Emory Point, an apartment and retail complex bordering Emory’s Atlanta campus. An “active shooter” emergency alert was distributed campus-wide almost immediately asking everyone to shelter in place. Emory Police Department officers were among the first law enforcement personnel to respond, where they encountered and engaged a lone active shooter on Clifton Road across from the main entrance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As far as we know based on all available information, no Emory Police Department officers and no other members of our Emory community were physically injured.

Tragically, in addition to the shooter, DeKalb County Police officer David Rose lost his life in the line of duty. Officer Rose responded heroically, and our hearts mourn with the officer’s family and his fellow officers. His sacrifice for our community will not be forgotten.

We would like to express our overwhelming gratitude to the local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and officers who responded to this call. Their swift response enabled a well-coordinated, multi-agency team to confront a threat and keep our community safe. We send our thanks to the Atlanta Police Department, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Fire & Rescue teams who responded. This is what these officers – including Emory’s own police officers who confronted the shooter – are trained to do. In putting themselves in harm’s way to keep each of us safe, they put our community first with incredible bravery and selflessness.

This morning we are also thinking about our colleagues at the CDC, our Atlanta campus neighbor and the professional home of many of our alumni and other members of our broader community. Emory and the CDC have long worked side by side to pursue and promote public health for citizens across our state, country, and world. Our collaboration does not end at the laboratory door – we are here to support them as friends, peers, and neighbors.

Over the past several years, teams from across Emory have worked diligently to increase campus safety measures. This ongoing work has included enhanced training for EPD officers, inter-agency preparedness exercises, and new physical elements including expanding security cameras on campus and increased officer patrols. These investments helped to enable the swift response to yesterday’s incident. As we review yesterday’s events, we will incorporate what we learn into our planning, procedures, and training to keep each of you safe. This will always be Emory’s top priority.

We understand that events like these can be traumatic and deeply concerning, particularly on the eve of a new academic year. Please continue to look after one another, seek help when you need it, and remember that Emory has resources to support you. If you do not already have the Emory Safe app, we strongly encourage you to download it. That is the best way to stay connected during any emergency on campus.

While there is still much to learn about this tragic event, we are grateful to so many of you for your efforts yesterday. Whether you were directly responding to this threat, working at Emory University Hospital to try to save the life of Officer Rose, sheltering in place on campus, or sending your messages of care and concern from afar, thank you. Our community is stronger because of you.

Best,

Leah Ward Sears, Interim President-Elect

Gregory L. Fenves, President and Chancellor-Elect

9:50 p.m. Friday, Aug. 8, 2025

Dear Emory Community,

Multiple law enforcement agencies and the Emory Police Department are still working to verify facts related to today’s active shooter incident at Emory Point, an apartment and retail complex adjacent to our Atlanta campus. While police have secured the area and are investigating, it remains an active crime scene.

We ask that everyone please continue to avoid the area until an “all clear” notification has been issued by Emory University.

Emory is grateful to the many officers and law enforcement agencies who quickly responded to this incident. Once facts have been established, Emory will share additional communications that provide more information.

Burt Buchtinec
Chief, Emory Police Department

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