DHS employee among 2 dead in Georgia shootings, 3rd victim critical

Law enforcement is investigating a series of shootings in Georgia that left two women, including a U.S. Department of Homeland Security employee dead and a homeless man in critical condition, authorities said on April 15.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin identified the employee "brutally shot and stabbed to death" as 40-year-old Lauren Bullis. Mullin said Bullis was killed while walking her dog during a series of violent attacks that took place two days earlier on April 13.

Other victims of the alleged attacks included a woman who was shot outside a Checkers, Mullin said, and a homeless man who was sleeping outside a business in Brookhaven, a city in the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta.

Mullin said local authorities arrested 26-year-old Olaolukitan Adon Abel in connection to the attacks, which took place over a nearly six-hour period in DeKalb County.

"These acts of pure evil have devastated our Department and my prayers are with the families of the victims," Mullin said.

Police ID suspect in Georgia shootings

During an April 14 news conference, Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley told reporters investigators identified Abel through his rental car and video that captured the vehicle's license plate the day of the alleged attacks.

Abel first allegedly shot and killed a woman about 1 a.m. ET outside the fast-food business on Wesley Chapel Road, according to the DeKalb County Police Department, the agency investigating that killing.

The second victim was attacked just after 2 a.m. ET as he slept outside Cherokee Plaza Shopping Center, Gurley said. The man was taken to a hospital where he was listed in critical condition, police said.

Several hours later, about 6:50 a.m. ET, Bullis was found stabbed and shot on Battle Forest Drive, Gurley said.

Suspect in Georgia shootings faces murder charges

Abel, who appeared in court on April 14, faces at least six charges, including murder, aggravated assault and possession of a gun as a convicted felon, court records show.

DeKalb County jail records show Abel was being held without bond on April 15. It was not immediately known whether he had obtained an attorney in connection with the case.

Mullin said Abel is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in the United Kingdom with a history of felonies in Georgia and California, including convictions for "sexual battery, battery against a police officer, obstruction, and assault with a deadly weapon, (and) vandalism."

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.