Atlanta Man Charged in Deadly Shootings Targeting DHS Employee and Others

Wed Apr 15 2026 22:06:52 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A series of shootings in Atlanta resulted in two deaths and one man critically injured, including a Department of Homeland Security employee, raising concerns over the assailant's citizenship.

Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a 26-year-old U.K. native naturalized in 2022, has been charged with killing Lauren Bullis, a DHS employee, during a random attack. The violence left another woman injured and a homeless man in critical condition. Homeland Security officials expressed sorrow and highlighted the dangers posed by individuals with criminal histories obtaining citizenship. Authorities are investigating if the victims were targeted at random.

ATLANTA (AP) — An Atlanta man has been charged in a string of attacks over a matter of hours that left two women dead and a man in critical condition, drawing the Trump administration’s attention after one of the victims was identified as a Department of Homeland Security employee who was walking her dog.

The killing of the DHS worker, Lauren Bullis, and shootings of the two other victims on Monday led Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin to issue a statement raising concerns that the 26-year-old defendant, U.K.-native Olaolukitan Adon Abel, was granted U.S. citizenship in 2022, when Democrat Joe Biden was president.

“These acts of pure evil have devastated our Department and my prayers are with the families of the victims,” Mullin wrote in a statement posted on social media, cataloging a litany of the defendant’s previous alleged crimes but not specifying whether they happened before he was granted citizenship.

Authorities have said they believe at least one of the victims, the man who was wounded, was targeted at random. They said they were still looking into whether the other two victims were also picked randomly.

The first victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds near a restaurant in the Decatur area at around 1 a.m. Monday. She was taken to a hospital but died, DeKalb County Police Chief Gregory Padrick said at a news conference.

About an hour later in Brookhaven, another Atlanta suburb about 12 miles 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.

Just before 7 a.m. and more than 10 miles away in Panthersville, officers responding to a call found Bullis with gunshot and stab wounds. Investigators in Brookhaven determined that the three attacks were connected.

Adon Abel was taken into custody later Monday during a traffic stop. He is charged with two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault, and firearm charges. Adon Abel waived an initial court appearance on Tuesday.

Mullin, who took over DHS last month, highlighted that Adon Abel has a criminal record that includes a sexual battery conviction. However, it's unclear if those offenses occurred before he became a citizen in 2022.

“The U.S. has long barred people convicted of most violent felonies from becoming citizens,” Mullin stated, emphasizing the scrutiny individuals are under during the naturalization process.