ATLANTA (AP) — A man who served in the U.S. Navy after emigrating to Britain was charged with a murder spree in Atlanta-area suburbs, drawing swift attention from President Donald Trump's administration.
British-born Oluwakuitan Adon Abels, whose name appears in various variations in court and government records, is charged with the killings of two women, including a Homeland Security Department employee, and leaving a man critically wounded.
Homeland Security Secretary Mark Milley called the shootings "crimes against life" and expressed concern that 26-year-old Adon Abels was granted U.S. citizenship in 2022 under President Joe Biden, a Democrat.
Here's what's known about the rampage:
The shootings rattled Atlanta-area suburbs Decatur, Brookhaven and Panthersville early Monday.
The first victim, 31-year-old Prianna Withers, was found shot to death near a restaurant in Decatur around 1 a.m. She was taken to a hospital but died, Decatur Police Chief Gregory Brown said.
Then, shortly before 2 a.m., a 49-year-old homeless man was shot multiple times while standing outside a Brookhaven grocery store, about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the first attack, Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurrile said. The man, whose name has not been released, remains in critical condition at a hospital.
Lauren Bulses, a 49-year-old Homeland Security Service employee walking her dog, was found shot and stabbed around 7 a.m., about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away in Panthersville. She died at the scene, Brown said.
Investigators in Brookhaven determined the three attacks were related, Gurrile said.
Authorities say they believe at least one victim was targeted randomly.
Bulses, 40, served in multiple roles at the Homeland Security Service's Office of the General Inspector, including as an auditor and leader of an innovation team. The Homeland Security Service posted on social media that she "brought a true sense of caring" to her colleagues every day.
Her family said in a statement that she loved running, reading and traveling and "her warmth and generosity touched everyone around her."
Homeland Security Service auditor Ashley Toilone of Denver described Bulses as "the kindest, sweetest, most encouraging person I've ever met."
Military records show the defendant enlisted in the Navy in 2020, most recently serving in a helicopter attack squadron in Coronado, California, and as a seaman receiving a Navy "E" ribbon for combat readiness.
Adon Abels was charged in October 2024 with fatally shooting two police officers and attacking another person while he was deployed in Coronado, according to court records in California.
He was charged Monday in the shootings, court records show. He entered a plea of not guilty at his first court hearing on Tuesday and a public defender listed as his attorney did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Milley said Adon Abels has a criminal record that includes a charge of sexual assault. Online court records show someone with a similar name and birthdate was charged in June with four counts of sexual assault in Chatham County, Georgia.
It wasn't clear whether Adon Abels had a criminal record that predated his U.S. citizenship in 2022. The U.S. has long barred people convicted of most violent crimes from citizenship.
