Naturalized Citizen Charged in Fatal Atlanta-Area Attack Spree

A 26-year-old man and former U.S. Navy sailor has been charged with two counts of malice murder following a string of violent attacks across the Atlanta metro area on April 14. The spree left two women dead and a homeless man critically injured. Among the victims was a Department of Homeland Security employee, identified as 40-year-old Lauren Bullis.

The Details

The sequence of violence began around 1 a.m. Monday in Decatur, where a woman was found with multiple gunshot wounds near a Checkers restaurant on Wesley Chapel Road. Although she was transported to a hospital, she later died; her identity has not yet been released. Roughly one hour later, at approximately 2 a.m., a 49-year-old homeless man was shot multiple times while sleeping outside a Kroger grocery store in Brookhaven. He remains in critical condition.

The violence culminated just before 7 a.m. in the suburb of Panthersville, more than 10 miles from the previous scenes. Lauren Bullis was found on Battle Forest Drive with both gunshot and stab wounds. Bullis, who worked as an auditor and team leader for the DHS Office of Inspector General, was walking her dog at the time of the attack and died at the scene.

Suspect Olaolukitan Adon Abel was apprehended later Monday during a traffic stop in Troup County, near the Alabama border. Investigators utilized license plate recognition technology to track Abel's vehicle to the location. Abel has since waived his initial court appearance and faces charges including malice murder, aggravated assault, and various firearms counts.

Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley described the shooting of the homeless man as a 'completely random attack on a member of our unhoused community.' Authorities believe at least one victim was targeted at random, and they are investigating whether other victims were also random targets.

Context

Olaolukitan Adon Abel is a native of the United Kingdom who was granted U.S. citizenship in 2022. He previously served in the Navy's Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron in Coronado, California, where he received a Navy 'E' Ribbon for superior performance, before being discharged in September 2024.

Abel's legal history includes a guilty plea in October 2024 in California for assaulting two Coronado police officers with a deadly weapon and attacking another individual while stationed at Naval Base Coronado. Additionally, court records indicate that an individual listed as Adon Olaolukitan with the same birth date as Abel pleaded guilty in June 2025 in Chatham County, Georgia, to four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, resulting in 120 days in jail and three years of probation.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who assumed office last month, responded to the attacks by calling them 'acts of pure evil.' Mullin highlighted a current effort by USCIS to ensure individuals with criminal histories are unable to attain citizenship, though it remains unclear if Abel's specific criminal record predated his 2022 naturalization.

What's Next

Abel remains in custody as the legal process moves forward. Investigators are continuing to analyze the timeline of the attacks and the movement of the suspect across the metro area to determine if there are any remaining gaps in the sequence of events.

The Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement agencies are expected to provide further updates as the investigation into the motive for the attacks continues. The identity of the first victim in Decatur is still pending public release.