DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A vigil was held Tuesday to honor DeKalb County Police Officer David Rose, who died after a gunman opened fire from a CVS store across the street from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The community gathered to pay their respects, with many expressing grief and compassion for Officer Rose’s family.
Rose, a Marine, husband, and father, was killed when a gunman opened fire from a CVS store across the street from the CDC.
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“I just couldn’t not come. I was just compelled to do this,” Cathy Shirah, a local resident attending the vigil, told Channel 2’s Audrey Washington.
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Dr. Cedric Alexander, former DeKalb County Public Safety Director, explained the emotional toll on fellow officers.
“It creates a great deal of grief, a great deal of anger and frustration and hurt to those who are the closest to that officer,” Alexander told Channel 2 Action News.
Space is running out on the memorial board as more people leave messages of support and sympathy for Officer Rose’s family.
Alexander, who has experience dealing with similar high-profile shootings, said providing mental health support for officers was important after such tragedies.
“I did a lot of police work with officers who suffered from emotional events such as this,” Alexander said
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