A 26-year-old Atlanta resident has been charged with two counts of murder following a series of violent attacks across suburban Georgia that claimed the life of a Department of Homeland Security employee and left a homeless man hospitalized in critical condition.
Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a British national who became a U.S. citizen in 2022, was taken into custody Monday evening during a traffic stop in Troup County after authorities linked three separate incidents across the Atlanta metro area. The attacks unfolded over roughly six hours, beginning around 1am near Decatur and concluding just before 7am in Panthersville.
The first victim, a woman whose identity has not been released, was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds near a restaurant in the Decatur area. She died after being transported to a hospital. About an hour later and roughly 12 miles away in Brookhaven, a 49-year-old homeless man sleeping outside a grocery store was shot multiple times. Police Chief Brandon Gurley described that attack as "completely random" and said the man remains in critical condition.
The final victim was Lauren Bullis, a DHS inspector general employee who was found with gunshot and stab wounds in Panthersville. She died at the scene. Investigators determined all three attacks were connected, though authorities said they are still investigating whether the women were targeted randomly or if other circumstances led to their selection.
Abel has been charged with two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault, and firearms violations. He waived his initial court appearance on Tuesday, and court records do not list an attorney.
The case has drawn attention from the Trump administration, particularly Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who issued a statement questioning how Abel obtained citizenship despite what he characterized as a criminal history. According to online court records, someone with Abel's name and birth date pleaded guilty in June to four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery in Chatham County, Georgia. Mullin did not clarify whether that conviction occurred before or after Abel's 2022 naturalization.
"These acts of pure evil have devastated our department and my prayers are with the families of the victims," Mullin wrote on social media, noting that since Trump took office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has worked to prevent individuals with criminal records from attaining citizenship. The United States has long maintained restrictions against naturalizing individuals convicted of most violent felonies, though specifics about Abel's record timeline remain unclear.
Bullis, 26, worked in multiple roles within the DHS office of inspector general, including as an auditor and team leader in the office of innovation. She was walking her dog when she was killed. The agency remembered her in a social media post, saying she brought "warmth, kindness, and a genuine sense of care to her colleagues each day."
Her family described Bullis as "selfless, kind and compassionate," noting that she had a passion for running, reading, and traveling. Ashley Toillion, a fellow DHS auditor from Denver who met Bullis at a conference last year, recalled the two quickly becoming friends. "You couldn't meet her and not be her friend," Toillion said. "She was just the nicest, sweetest, most encouraging person I've ever met."
Toyin Adon Abel Jr., the suspect's brother, declined to discuss the case when reached by phone Wednesday but expressed sympathy for the victims and their families. "I feel terrible for the victims, their families and their connections. It's a horrible thing," he said.
Author James Rodriguez: "The citizenship question will dominate coverage, but this story is fundamentally about three people caught in the path of sudden violence and a community grappling with loss."
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