Former Navy Service Member Charged in Georgia Killing Spree

The suspect is accused of carrying out a string of attacks in the Atlanta area that killed two women and injured a homeless man. The authorities described the attacks as random.


The street where Lauren Bullis, a Department of Homeland Security employee, was killed while walking her dog on Monday in Decatur, Ga. Ben Hendren/Atlanta Journal-Constitution, via Associated Press

By Pooja Salhotra
April 16, 2026

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.


Ms. Bullis had held multiple roles at D.H.S., including auditor. Sunisa Kim Kipe, via Associated Press

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.

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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.

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Kirsten Noyes contributed research.

Pooja Salhotra covers breaking news across the United States.