A man who served in the Navy was charged in a string of attacks near Atlanta this week that killed two women, including a Department of Homeland Security employee, and left a homeless man critically injured.
The suspect, Olaolukitan Adon Abel, 26, faces malice murder, aggravated assault and firearms charges, according to court records. He is in custody at DeKalb County Jail.
The local authorities described the shooting spree as “random” and said during a news conference on Monday that they were still trying to piece together a motive for the three attacks, the first of which took place near Decatur, Ga., about six miles east of downtown Atlanta.
Brandon Gurley, the police chief in Brookhaven, Ga., another Atlanta suburb, said he believed the suspect would have committed similar crimes had he not been arrested.
A lawyer listed as a public defender representing Mr. Adon Abel did not immediately return requests for comment.
Around 12:50 a.m. on Monday, police responding to a 911 call found a woman with multiple gunshot wounds outside a fast-food restaurant. She was transported to a hospital, where she died. Her identity has not been released.
About an hour later, officers found a 49-year-old homeless man who had been sleeping outside a grocery store in Brookhaven injured with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital and was in critical condition as of Thursday morning.
Then, at nearly 7 a.m., officers responding to a call in Panthersville, Ga., another Atlanta suburb, found a woman with gunshot wounds and stab wounds. The woman, identified as Lauren Bullis, died at the scene. Officials said a license plate reader proved critical to identifying the suspect’s vehicle, a rental car. He was stopped in Troup County, southwest of DeKalb along the Alabama border.
Ms. Bullis had served in multiple roles at the D.H.S. Office of Inspector General, including as an auditor and as a team leader in the office of innovation, according to the agency, which said she had been killed while she was walking her dog.
“Lauren approached her work with integrity, thoughtfulness, and a commitment to excellence that strengthened our organization and the communities we serve,” D.H.S. said in a statement.
In its statement, D.H.S. appeared to cast blame for the deadly episode on the Biden administration, though it is not clear when Mr. Adon Abel entered the country. He was born in Britain and was naturalized in the United States in 2022, officials said.
Mr. Adon Abel enlisted in the U.S. Navy in November 2020, according to military records. He most recently served in the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron in Coronado, Calif. Before that, he served in the Strike Fighter Squadron in Lemoore, Calif.
In October 2024, he pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer or firefighter in San Diego. He was released after one year in custody and then relocated to Atlanta, said Brandon Naidu, who represented Mr. Adon Abel in the 2024 case.
Mr. Naidu said he was “shocked” that his former client had been charged in the killing spree. During sentencing in 2024, he added, Mr. Adon Abel had been screened to participate in a court-run treatment program for military veterans charged with crimes. Had he been accepted into the program, Mr. Naidu said, he may still have been in it, which offers veterans a customized treatment program.
In April 2025, Mr. Adon Abel pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery in Chatham County, Ga. Records indicate that he appeared to be on probation when the shooting spree occurred.
Kirsten Noyes contributed research.
Pooja Salhotra covers breaking news across the United States.
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