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ATLANTA (AP) — A man from Atlanta faces charges related to a series of violent incidents occurring within a few hours, resulting in the deaths of two women and leaving a man critically injured. This case has garnered attention from the Trump administration due to the involvement of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee, Lauren Bullis, who was fatally shot while walking her dog.
The tragic death of Bullis, coupled with the shootings of the other victims on Monday, prompted Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin to release a statement. He expressed concerns about the citizenship status of the accused, Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a 26-year-old originally from the UK, who became a U.S. citizen in 2022 during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Mullin’s statement, shared on social media, described the events as “acts of pure evil” that have deeply affected the Department. He extended his condolences to the victims’ families and enumerated the defendant’s alleged past offenses, though he did not indicate if these occurred before Abel was naturalized.
Investigators have suggested that at least one victim, the injured man, was chosen randomly. They continue to investigate whether the other two victims were also selected without specific targeting.
A morning of violence
The first victim, discovered with several gunshot wounds, was located near a restaurant in the Decatur area around 1 a.m. on Monday. Despite being rushed to a hospital, she succumbed to her injuries, according to DeKalb County Police Chief Gregory Padrick during a press briefing. Her identity has not yet been disclosed by authorities.
About an hour later in Brookhaven, another Atlanta suburb about 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of the first attack, a 49-year-old homeless man who was sleeping outside of a grocery store was shot multiple times, Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley said. The man, whose name hasn’t been released, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
“It is apparent to us that it was a completely random attack on a member of our unhoused community,” Gurley said.
Just before 7 a.m. and more than 10 miles (16 kilometers) away in the suburb of Panthersville, officers responding to a call found a woman with gunshot and stab wounds, Patrick said. The woman, Bullis, died at the scene. Investigators in Brookhaven determined that the three attacks were connected, Gurley said.
Adon Abel was taken into custody later Monday during a traffic stop in Troup County, which borders Alabama. He is charged with two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault and firearms counts, court records show. He waived an initial court appearance on Tuesday. Court records don’t list an attorney who might speak on his behalf.
Reached by phone Wednesday, Toyin Adon Abel Jr. said he didn’t want to talk about his brother. But he expressed sympathy for the victims: “I feel terrible for the victims, their families and their connections. It’s a horrible thing,” he said.
Remembered for her warmth and compassion
Bullis served in multiple roles at DHS Office of Inspector General, including as an auditor in the Office of Audits and as a Team Leader in the Office of Innovation, DHS posted on social media, saying she brought “warmth, kindness, and a genuine sense of care to her colleagues each day.”
In a statement, Bullis’ family remembered her as “selfless, kind and compassionate.”
“She deeply loved her family and found joy in running, reading and traveling,” the family said. “Her warmth and generosity touched everyone surrounding her.”
Fellow DHS auditor Ashley Toillion of Denver said she met Bullis at a work conference last year. The two became fast friends as they bonded over running and quickly made plans to have Bullis join Toillion in a race at Walt Disney World.
“You couldn’t meet her and not be her friend,” Toillion said, choking back tears. “She was just the nicest, sweetest, most encouraging person I’ve ever met.”
Mullin, who took over DHS last month after Kristi Noem was fired, said in his statement that Olaolukitan Adon Abel has a criminal record that includes a sexual battery conviction, though he didn’t say which year he was convicted. Online court records show that someone listed as Adon Olaolukitan, who has the same birth date as Adon Abel, pleaded guilty last June in Chatham County, Georgia, to four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.
In his statement, Mullin noted that since President Donald Trump took office, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which DHS oversees, has worked to ensure that people with criminal histories don’t attain citizenship. But the U.S. has long barred people convicted of most violent felonies from becoming citizens, and it wasn’t immediately clear if Adon Abel — or Adon Olaolukitan, if it’s the same person — had a criminal record that predated him becoming a citizen in 2022.
In response to a request for further details about the case and the defendant’s criminal history, DHS referred The Associated Press to its post about Bullis and her death.
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Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland. Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.