Who was David Rose? Tributes pour in as DeKalb County police mourn death of officer killed in line of duty

The DeKalb County Police Department and the community of Georgia is mourning the loss of Officer David Rose. The 33-year-old former U.S. Marine lost his life in the line of duty on August 8 while responding to an active shooter on a busy weekday near the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in downtown Atlanta.

Rose had served 11 months with the DeKalb County Police Department, graduating from the police academy in March 2025 as the class leader of Class 138. In his graduation address, he spoke of duty, sacrifice, and the willingness to run to danger when everyone else runs away.

"When we step out onto these streets, we are ready. When someone calls for help, we don’t hesitate. And when things get tough - and it will - we don’t break," Rose said in his speech.

According to a report by the WOWT, prior to serving in the police department, Rose had served in the U.S. Marine Corps for four years to include a deployment to Afghanistan. He had been a jailer for Gwinnett County, and had also gained a reputation as an officer who served with discipline and service.

During an exchange of gunfire on the Emory University campus, which is directly across the street from the CDC complex, David Rose was shot and died from his injuries.

The Atlanta Police Department identified the suspected shooter as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White, who died at the scene. Authorities have reported that they do not have information yet whether White died from self-inflicted injury, or police gunfire, and the motive remains under investigation.

Community mourns David Rose's death

The incident shocked both the Emory community and the CDC community, with CDC Director Susan Monarez confirming gunfire went into at least four of the CDC buildings. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called the attacks “senseless,” while providing full transparency to allow investigators to determine the events of the shooting.

HORRIFYING VIDEO SHOWS DAVID ROSE RESPONDING TO EMORY CDC SHOOTING

MOMENTS LATER HE GETS KILLED pic.twitter.com/GRbTwFwCmT

— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) August 9, 2025

According to WOWT, County officials called David Rose a dedicated and respected officer who "quickly earned the respect of his colleagues for his dedication, courage, and professionalism." DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson paid tribute in a statement, noting the personal tragedy behind the public loss.

"This evening there’s a wife without a husband, three children — one unborn — without a father, and a mother and father as well as siblings who also share in this traumatic loss," she said in a statement.

Georgia’s governor Brian Kemp also expressed his remembrance on social media. Rose is survived by his pregnant wife, two young daughters, and an unborn son, expected in the latter part of the year. His death is the first DeKalb County officer killed in the line of duty in nearly five years.