US CDC tightens safety measures after gunman kills officer in Atlanta

ATLANTA, Georgia – The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tightened security following an Aug 8 attack on its Atlanta headquarters that left a police officer and the gunman dead, including having most employees work from home this week and removing vehicle decals showing where they work.

The union representing workers at the CDC said the violence “compounds months of mistreatment, neglect and vilification that CDC staff have endured”, citing reports that the gunman blamed the Covid-19 vaccine for making him depressed and suicidal.

Since being named Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary earlier in 2025, Mr Robert F. Kennedy Jr has targeted vaccine policy, and in May withdrew a federal recommendation for Covid-19 vaccinations for pregnant women and healthy children.

Mr Kennedy toured the CDC site on Aug 11, where agency security pointed out shattered windows across multiple buildings, including the main guard booth, HHS said in a statement.

He also visited the DeKalb County Police Department and privately met the widow of police officer David Rose, who gave his life in the line of duty.

“No one should face violence while working to protect the health of others,” Mr Kennedy said in a post on social media platform X on Aug 10.

HHS said it continues to support CDC personnel and additional safety and security measures are being put in place ahead of their return to the office.

A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that 189 rounds of gunfire had hit the CDC buildings during the attack, 85 windows were broken and more than 100 doors destroyed, among other damage.

Both local and federal law enforcement are “conducting intensive monitoring of all potential threats to CDC and its staff”, the agency’s acting chief operating officer Christa Capozzola said in an e-mail to staff over the weekend that was seen by Reuters.

She said work was under way to clean up and repair extensive damage to the CDC’s campus by the shooter, who, according to the investigation so far, acted alone.

An “all-staff” meeting on Aug 12 will become a virtual-only event, CDC director Susan Monarez said in a separate e-mail seen by Reuters.

She said teams were working to determine “our workplace posture” moving forward.

The agency’s safety division asked employees to remove CDC-identifying decals from their vehicles, an e-mail seen by Reuters showed.

The Atlanta Police Department referred calls to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which did not have an immediate comment. REUTERS