A U.S. Department of Homeland Security employee was among two women fatally shot and stabbed in a series of attacks across DeKalb County early Monday, while a homeless man remained in critical condition, authorities said.
The attacks unfolded over a nearly six-hour period.
Lauren Bullis, 40, was killed while walking her dog about 6:50 a.m. on Battle Forest Drive, Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley said. Earlier that morning, a woman was shot and killed outside a Checkers restaurant on Wesley Chapel Road around 1 a.m., and a homeless man was shot multiple times outside a Kroger in Brookhaven just after 2 a.m.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin identified Bullis, who worked as an auditor and team leader in the department’s Office of Inspector General. Mullin condemned the violence.
“On Monday, a DHS employee, Lauren Bullis, was brutally shot and stabbed to death by Olaolukitan Adon Abel, a 26-year-old, born in the United Kingdom, who was naturalized by the Biden Administration in 2022,” Mullin said in a department news release. “These acts of pure evil have devastated our Department and my prayers are with the families of the victims.”
Abel was arrested and faces at least six charges, including murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a gun as a convicted felon, court records show. He remained held without bond on Wednesday.
Investigators identified Abel through his rental car and video footage that captured the vehicle’s license plate on the day of the attacks, Gurley said.
Abel has prior convictions in Georgia and California for sexual battery, battery against a police officer, obstruction, assault with a deadly weapon, and vandalism.
Bullis had served in multiple roles at the DHS Office of Inspector General and was remembered by colleagues for her dedication, integrity, and kindness.
No details about the other victims’ identities have been released.
In the announcement concerning Bullis’ death, DHS took the opportunity to highlight a new vetting center created in December that aims to “enhance screening and vetting of immigration applications, with a focus on identifying terrorists, criminal aliens, and other threats to public safety.”
In addition, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has “restored the practice of conducting neighborhood investigations of potential new citizens” to verify aliens’ eligibility for naturalization.
The investigations, which include “reviewing their residency, moral character, loyalty to the U.S. Constitution, and commitment to the nation’s well-being,” are “vital to maintaining the integrity of the naturalization process, assuring assimilation, and safeguarding the value of American citizenship,” DHS announced.