DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — We are learning more about the officer who lost his life on Friday evening as a gunman began shooting at the CDC.
Officer David Rose, 33, was killed in the incident, leaving behind a pregnant wife and two children.
After serving as a Marine in Afghanistan, Rose joined the DeKalb County Police Department in 2024 and was the class leader in the department’s police academy.
During that ceremony, Rose gave a speech to the rest of his fellow graduates of Academy Class 138.
“Today we stand here as a proud few who made it through one of the most challenging, demanding, and life-changing experiences of our lives,” Rose told them.
He spoke about how the class was made up of people from all walks of life who came together with one goal: “To be part of something greater than ourselves.”
“We wanted to wear the badge, not for the sake of a title, but for the responsibility that comes with it. And responsibility is exactly what this job demands. From the very first day, we learned that policing isn’t just about enforcing the law, it’s about protecting the vulnerable, standing for justice, and being the person who runs towards danger when others run away,” Rose said.
Rose lived up to responsibility. He ran toward the gunfire on Friday as employees at the CDC and across parts of the Emory Campus came under fire by a gunman, who has been identified as Patrick Joseph White, 30, of Kennesaw.
White was later found dead on the second floor of a CVS pharmacy across the street from the CDC.
Rose was rushed into Emory University Hospital, but did not survive his injuries.
During his speech to his fellow graduating cadets, he talked about the doubts that they had going through the academy and the strength they found to keep going.
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“There were moments when we doubted ourselves, moments when we wondered if we had what it took. When those moments, we found something more powerful than fear. We found each other. We found strength in the person next to us and the instructors who pushed us beyond our limits, and the loved ones who remained with us while we started the journey in the first place,” Rose said.
Rose said that five people in the academy didn’t make it through. And he thanked his instructor for the tough journey they all went through as cadets.
“You are making sure that when we step out onto the streets, we are ready, then when someone calls for help, we don’t hesitate, that when things get tough, and they will, we don’t break for that,” Rose said.
In total, six men and women graduated to become DeKalb County Police Officers that day to serve and protect the community.
As Rose’s body was taken from Emory University Hospital on Friday night, his body, in the back of an ambulance, was covered in an American flag, giving the ultimate sacrifice.
He knew what the badge he wore stood for from the start.
“From this day forward, we carry the weight of this badge, with pride, with humility, and with unwavering commitment to serve and protect. So as we step into this new chapter, let’s remember why we were, why we’re here. Let’s remember what it took to get us here. Let’s not forget that we are stronger together,” Rose said, ending his speech to his new fellow officers.
“This officer responded to the call as he was trained to do,” interim DeKalb County Police Chief Greg Padrick said during a news conference on Friday night, announcing his death.
“This evening, there is a wife without a husband, there are three children, one unborn, without a father,” DeKalb County CEO Loraine Cochran-Johnson said.
And for the DeKalb County Police Department, a friend and colleague will forever be held in their hearts as a hero.
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