A CDC employee told CNN he was driving home from work when he saw a man approach the steps of a building at the agency’s campus, put a backpack down and shoot at the building.
The shooting was “certainly targeted” at the CDC, the employee said. The gunman seemed to be shooting at CDC’s Building 21, according to the employee, who said he first thought the man was pulling fishing gear from his backpack.
The employee said he thinks he saw the shooter pull two rifles from the bag. He heard at least six or seven shots and called 911 from his car, he told CNN.
Then he drove further down the road and called his wife to make sure his children – who attend day care at the CDC campus – were safe. His wife had picked up the children just 10 minutes before the shooting began, he said.
He continued hearing shots “for several minutes” after calling his wife.
“We have friends and their kids who were on lockdown,” he said. “I have very close colleagues who were locked down in the office at CDC, you know, cowering or sort of sheltering in place.”
The CDC building is adjacent to the Emory University campus in Atlanta.
