Emory College active shooter LIVE: Shots fired as students told to 'run, hide, fight'

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has honoured the police offer that lost their life during Friday's shooting.

“We at @CDCgov are heartbroken by today’s attack on our Roybal Campus, which remains on lockdown as authorities investigate the shooting,” Director Susan Monarez said in a post on X. “A courageous local law enforcement officer gave their life, and another was injured, after a gunman opened fire on at least four CDC buildings.”

The shooter who claimed the life of one police officer and injured another person, had multiple guns on his person – two hand guns, one rifle and one shotgun – and was wearing what a law enforcement official on the scene described as looking like a surgical mask.

The shooter was also reportedly carrying multiple rounds of magazines with him and was wearing ear protection, according to an official.

The police officer who was sadly killed in Friday’s shooting has left behind a pregnant wife and two children, DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson told reporters during a press conference.

“This evening, there is a wife without a husband. There are three children, one unborn, without a father. There is a mother and a father, as well as siblings who also share in this traumatic loss."

“Let’s join together to give this family the support it needs during this traumatic loss,” she added.

Officials will not be releasing the name of the police officer killed in Friday's harrowing shooting, Interim Chief of the DeKalb County Police Department Greg Padrick has confirmed.

“It is with profound sadness that we announce the loss of the life of one of our very own DeKalb County police officers,” Padrick said. “This officer responded to the call as he was trained to do and during that incident, he received gunfire and he lost his life in this incident.”

When asked if he believed the suspected shooter targeted the CDC, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said it was too early in the investigation to speculate on any possible motive.

“He is a known person that may have some interests in certain things, that I can’t reiterate right know with any confidence until the investigation is fully conducted,” Dickens said.

“But I think in short order you’ll know more about this individual and some assumptions about his motives, but I can’t say right now,” he said.

The Atlanta Police Department has revealed that it cannot confirm why the police officer involved in the shooting incident was present on site.

“It’s not uncommon for patrol patterns to cross multiple jurisdictions that may share the space. Was he going to work? Was he coming home from work? We don’t know if he was on patrol,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters on Friday evening, before adding that this query would form part of their investigation.

“We can’t confirm that our officer was responding to the threat of the active shooter,” another official added.

According to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, 92 children were at the CDC Headquarters daycare when the shooting occurred on Friday. None of the children were harmed.

“I’m a parent as well. I know your uncertainty and your fear and concern has been high,” Dickens said today at a news conference. “We wanted to come give you this message that all the children are safe and that we will be making sure that you get reunited with them as soon as possible.”

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum has told reporters that officers found the shooter on the second floor of a CVS and revealed he had been struck by gunfire.

“We do not know at this time if it was an officer’s or if it was self-inflicted,” he said.

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Atlanta's mayor Andre Dickens has now confirmed that no civilians were shot during the active shooter incident on the campus of Emory University.

He also confirmed that the shooter is deceased.

The alleged shooter’s father reached out to law enforcement before Friday's fatal shooting to report that he believed his son was suicidal, a law enforcement official has told news outlet CNN.

It was not immediately clear how much time had elapsed between the call and the shooting.

According to CNN, police have spoken with the suspected shooter's family members and believe that the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta was the intended target of the attack.

Police are reportedly operating under the working theory that the suspect was sick, or believed he was sick, and blamed the supposed illness on the COVID-19 vaccine.

The officer who was shot while responding to the active shooter incident on Emory University campus has died, according to a law enforcement official.

Atlanta officials are set to hold a news conference to update the pubic and the media on the active shooter situation near Emory University. The conference is expected to start any minute now.

There was a single shooter involved who is now dead, the Atlanta Police Department has revealed.

“There is no ongoing threat to the Emory Campus or the surrounding neighborhood. The incident involved a single shooter, who is now deceased,” they said in a post on X. “One law enforcement official was injured in the course of the response.”

Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr has said he is “horrified by the news out of Emory University” and revealed he is praying for their safety.

“We stand ready to assist our law enforcement partners with whatever they may need," he told his followers on X.

Video taken from the backyard of an Atlanta resident has revealed the exact moments shots rang out near Emory University on Friday afternoon. In the video, faint gunshots could be heard, followed by emergency sirens in the distance.

Emory University’s Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response said in an update around 6:30 p.m. that there is still a “police emergency” on campus, around an hour and a half after first reporting an active shooter.

The office urged people to “Avoid the area. Shelter in place”, but critically this update marked the first shared that didn't make reference to an active shooter.

As the situation continues to unfold, Emory University has urged staff and students to remain in place as authorities work to secure the scene

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks out on Atlanta shooting

Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has broken his silence regarding Friday’s shooting, as he denounced the violence gripping his city for the second time this week.

"Twice this week, deranged criminals have targeted innocent Georgians," Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on X.

The governor thanked the "brave first responders" who "rushed toward the danger to subdue the shooter and save lives, reminding us of just how crucial they are."

"We ask that you join us in holding them in our prayers, along with those harmed this evening near the CDC Center," he said.

Less than three days ago, an active duty soldier opened fire at an Army post in Georgia on Wednesday, injuring five service members before he was subdued by witnesses and taken into custody, a military official told NBC News.

So far in Friday’s shooting, two people have been injured, including a police officer.

A source at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters in Atlanta has shared an email to staff advising them to take shelter immediately as the active shooter situation continues.

Pictures posted to social media showed what appeared to be bullet holes in the windows of a CDC Campus building in Atlanta. Emory University, where the shooting was reported, is near the CDC Campus.

The post claimed the picture was of CDC building 21, but local or federal law enforcement has not confirmed that at this time.

A spokesperson for the FBI told NBC News they were in the process of sending agents to Atlanta to assist local law enforcement in the active shooter situation at Emory University

Staff working at a deli near Emory University’s campus have likened the shooting to fireworks as they described the rapid succession of shots heard on campus.

“It sounded like fireworks going off, one right after the other, Brandy Giraldo, chief operating officer of General Miur, told the AP

“This is still an active scene,” the Atlanta Police Department said in a post on X. “As of right now, please avoid the area,” the post, addressed to the media, reads. “When we establish a staging area, we will update you.”

News outlet Fox 5 has reported that one DeKalb County police officer had been shot, and has been taken to the nearby Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.

No further details have yet been given on their condition. It is also believed that another person, a civilian, was also shot.

While it is currently unclear if anyone has been injured in the shooting, or if the shooter has been successfully apprehended, the location of the incident has been pinpointed to near the main campus of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A large police presence has been reported in the area, with images emerging on social media of the developing situation.

Further reports on social media have also suggested that bullets hit the CDC Building 21, which serves as the CDC's headquarters, however this has yet to be confirmed.

Representative Mike Collins, a Republican official that represents the suburbs just outside of Atlanta, has posted a brief message to social media in the wake of the tragedy as he offered his thoughts and prayers to the students affected.

"Students at Emory please take cover. Praying for a swift end to this threat," he wrote on X.

Emory College has urged staff and students to shelter in place.

The university is advising people to avoid CVS on campus at Emory Point on Clifton Road. It's unclear whether the shooter had been apprehended.

The location of the scene is near the main campus of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Unconfirmed reports on social media suggest at least 30 shots have been heard near the scene.

Video from the scene shows a massive police response to the active shooter threat.

Emory University Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response Guidance in the event of an active shooter.

Active shooter events are unpredictable, motives are different, and warning signs may vary, but there are three things you can do to increase chances of safety and survival: RUN, HIDE, FIGHT.

It is best to run away to escape the threat, but it is important to understand this guidance is not sequential. You may need to employ these strategies in different ways as the event evolves.

If a safe path is available, always try to escape or evacuate, even if others insist on staying. Do not linger to gather belongings. Encourage others to leave with you, but do not let their indecision slow down your own escape. Once out of the line of fire, try to prevent others from unknowingly walking into the danger zone and call Emory Police at 404.727.6111 or 911 when it is safe to do so.

If you can't escape, try to hide outside the shooter’s view. If you can't find a safe room or closet, hide behind large objects that offer protection. Seek a hiding place that doesn’t restrict your options to move. Try to remain quiet and calm. When hiding, turn out the lights, lock the doors, and silence the ringer and vibration mode on cell phones. If a door doesn't lock, attempt to block it with furniture or other large objects.

As a last resort, if your life is at risk, working together or alone, act with aggression. Use improvised weapons—for example, a fire extinguisher or chair. Attempt to incapacitate the active shooter.

There have been reports of an active shooter on campus at Emory College in Atlanta, Georgia. The university has urged staff and students to run, hide, and fight back. We'll bring you the latest updates.