8 hours ago
5
DUNWOODY, Ga. (AP) — DeKalb County Police Sgt. Tre Jones knew helium would prime David Rose to pb his constabulary academy people connected time one, a determination that usually takes 4 to six weeks to make.
What helium didn’t cognize astir were Rose’s swift moves connected the hoops court. But helium would soon spot them successful enactment astatine a section church’s tribunal portion Rose’s woman and kids cheered him connected from the bleachers.
Weeks aft helium was fatally changeable successful the Aug. 8 shooting astatine the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention office successful Atlanta, instrumentality enforcement colleagues described Rose arsenic a courageous person who enactment his household supra each other astatine a memorial work Friday astatine a religion northbound of Atlanta.
“Without question, helium was the finest I ever had the pleasance of training,” Jones said. “He was unshakable. His cognition toward the process ne'er wavered. From time 1 to graduation, helium remained mentally tough, respectful, and afloat committed. He welcomed adversity not with resistance, but with that trademark grin.”
Hundreds of instrumentality enforcement officers from DeKalb County and the surrounding portion filled the church. CDC employees besides attended. Local officials and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp attended. His young girl leaned connected his wife’s enarthrosis with bluish bows successful her hairsbreadth and a garment that said, “My daddy is my hero.”
Patrick Joseph White fired much than 180 shots with a agelong weapon astatine the CDC headquarters. Investigators learned White wanted to marque nationalist his disdain for vaccines.
The shooting reflects the dangers nationalist wellness leaders person been experiencing astir the state since anti-vaccine vitriol dispersed aft the pandemic. Such rhetoric has been amplified arsenic President Donald Trump’s Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has repeatedly made mendacious and misleading statements astir the information of immunizations.
Rose, a 33-year-old erstwhile U.S. Marine, was changeable by White erstwhile responding to the shooting. He graduated from the constabulary academy successful March.
Attendees passim the immense sanctuary sniffled arsenic a video played showing photos of Rose with his household and from erstwhile helium was a child. Interspersed were photos of him grooming to beryllium a constabulary serviceman and successful subject attire.
There were 3 things Rose regularly talked about, Jones said: Food, his motorcycle and his woman and children, the second with a wide grin.
DeKalb County constabulary serviceman Tahlia Cruz said Rose smiled arsenic she recalled the clip they played rapper GloRilla excessively loudly successful a van.
She added Rose ever encouraged radical to “raise their game.”
“Off the field, helium was quiet, humble and ne'er stopped up smiling,” Cruz said. “He had a mode of putting others first, often sacrificing his ain comfortableness truthful idiosyncratic other could person theirs. And erstwhile you needed guidance, helium was the 1 to crook to.”
When helium wasn’t with his family, Cruz said Rose recovered bid cruising down unfastened roads connected his motorcycle.
DeKalb interim constabulary Chief Gregory Padrick work Rose’s words from his constabulary graduation, wherever helium called connected his colleagues to beryllium the idiosyncratic “who runs toward information erstwhile others tally away.”
“We wanted to serve,” Rose had said. “We wanted to beryllium portion of thing greater than ourselves.”
___
Kramon is simply a corps subordinate for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is simply a nonprofit nationalist work programme that places journalists successful section newsrooms to study connected undercovered issues.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.
English (US) ·