HHS Secretary Kennedy attends CDC event for anniversary of Atlanta shooting
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday to mark the one-year anniversary of a shooting that locked down the federal facility for hours and killed a police officer.
Kennedy attended the commemorative event, which was open to employees of the federal agency, and later addressed staff at a tense town hall meeting. Members of Officer David Rose’s family also attended the memorial ceremony, which was not public.
Newly confirmed CDC Director Dr. Erica Schwartz did not attend, according to a CDC spokesperson. Schwartz, the agency’s first permanent leader in more than a year, has not been sworn in or started work officially.
Plaques erected in Rose’s honor, one placed in the agency’s main lobby and another at the entrance to the campus, were dedicated during the ceremony. The road into the complex off Clifton Road, formerly CDC Parkway, has been renamed Officer David Rose Parkway.
Fresh flowers adorned the makeshift memorial for Rose that has sat at the entrance to the CDC since last year, and throughout the morning employees walked to the scene alone and in small groups to pay their respects.
One woman laid a single red rose before walking on campus to her job.
Saturday marks one year since a gunman opened fire outside of the CDC. Upward of 500 rounds were shot at several buildings shortly after 5 p.m. Rose, a former U.S. Marine and a father of three, was one of the first officers to respond to the scene and was killed in the shooting.
HHS did not make public Kennedy’s remarks at the ceremony. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Kennedy said Rose and other first responders who ran toward the danger that day served with “courage, integrity and selflessness.”
“On behalf of President Trump, the Department of Health and Human Services, and a grateful nation, we honor Officer David Rose,” Kennedy wrote. “We will never forget his service or his sacrifice.”
Today, we honored Officer David Rose's extraordinary courage, service, and sacrifice by dedicating a memorial roadway and plaque in his memory, ensuring his legacy will continue to inspire all who enter the CDC campus. We also recognized the law enforcement officers, first… pic.twitter.com/adEvpoNY6N
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) August 7, 2026
No CDC employees were injured in the shooting, but it prompted lengthy lockdowns.
The gunman, Patrick Joseph White, eventually turned a gun on himself and was found dead on the second floor of a CVS store across the street from the CDC.
At the time, officials said White left his family’s Kennesaw-area home that day with five weapons, including rifles, a shotgun and a handgun. At his home, investigators found a “written document that expressed the shooter’s discontent with the COVID-19 vaccinations,” authorities have said.
When CDC employees were asked to return to work in mid-September, dozens of bullet holes in the building remained visible. Some of roughly 150 windows were shattered in the shooting.
Some of the windows hit haven’t been replaced yet, current and former employees told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Yolanda Jacobs, the president of the union representing CDC employees, said staff are still anxious about safety on campus.
Jacobs said the tone struck by Kennedy and other officials at the town hall after the ceremony to honor Rose had left many employees frustrated. Jacobs, who did not attend the town hall, said employees who were there told her leadership criticized staff and was “badgering” and “berating.”
“(It was) more about the egos of those in leadership than the tragedy that happened last August,” Jacobs said on a call with reporters.
HHS and White House officials did not immediately respond to questions about the town hall.
Sarah Boim, a former employee who leads the “Fired but Fighting” group composed of terminated CDC workers, told the AJC that current staff she’d spoken with also were upset by Kennedy’s visit.
“There’s a general feeling of unease among folks in the CDC community about having him onsite,” Boim said. “People are discussing feeling almost retraumatized by this person who has called the CDC the most corrupt agency in the government and then is coming to be performative.”
The ceremony appeared to wrap up a little past 11 a.m., with employees walking out to the makeshift memorial and the roadside plaque. Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum drove off the property with a wave to the assembled media.
DeKalb police Chief Greg Padrick left just after Schierbaum.
“Being able to honor (Rose) and stand with his family is an experience like no other,” Padrick said. “I don’t want any other chief of police to ever have to experience this, but there’s no doubt in my mind that his legacy, Officer Rose’s legacy, will forever be remembered in our community.”
Kennedy visited the CDC in August 2025, after the shooting. He did not make any public comments then, either.
For that visit, Kennedy was greeted by several protesters, including current and former CDC employees, some who held signs, the AJC previously reported. During that earlier trip, the CDC said Kennedy toured the damaged areas and met with Padrick and Rose’s widow.
Emory University, which sits next to the CDC campus, held its own memorial ceremony Friday afternoon.
“Our Emory community remembers Officer Rose as a devoted father, the beloved son of an Emory Healthcare employee, and a dedicated officer committed to service,” Emory interim President Leah Ward Sears said in a statement. “We continue to hold his family, friends and colleagues in our hearts as they live with this loss.”
A nondenominational community service Saturday will also honor Rose and mark the anniversary. The service is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the sanctuary at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church. Registration is required.