Overview
- Police say a series of attacks early Monday in DeKalb County began with a fatal shooting outside a Checkers around 1 a.m., continued with a shooting of a sleeping man near a Brookhaven shopping center just before 2 a.m., and ended with a fatal shooting and stabbing on Battle Forest Drive around 6:50 a.m.
- Investigators identified 26-year-old Olaolukitan Adon Abel and tracked a silver Volkswagen Jetta using license-plate recognition cameras before a Georgia Department of Public Safety team arrested him in Troup County during a felony stop.
- Abel faces two counts of malice murder along with aggravated assault and weapons charges, he waived an initial court appearance, and authorities in multiple jurisdictions say the case remains active.
- One victim was identified as 40-year-old Lauren Bullis of the DHS Office of Inspector General, who was killed while walking her dog, and the man shot in Brookhaven remains in critical condition as the first woman has not been publicly named.
- Officials say the attacks appear random and no motive has been determined, while DHS and several outlets highlighted that Abel was born in the U.K. and became a U.S. citizen in 2022 as records show a prior sexual battery conviction and other arrests, with AP and ABC noting uncertainty about which offenses predated naturalization and citing a 2024 military-era assault case and discharge.