Investigators say the attacks in DeKalb County and Brookhaven unfolded within hours and left two women dead and one man critically injured.
BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — Police say a 26-year-old Atlanta man was arrested Monday after a series of shootings across DeKalb County and Brookhaven that killed two women, critically wounded a man and ended with investigators tracing a car south of metro Atlanta.
By Monday night, authorities from Brookhaven and DeKalb County had tied the violence to one suspect, Olaolukitan Adon Abel. Investigators said the shootings started outside a fast-food restaurant, continued at a shopping center and ended in a neighborhood where 40-year-old Lauren Bullis was found with gunshot and stab wounds after what neighbors said was her usual morning dog walk. Police said the motive was still unclear and described the attacks as appearing random.
The timeline stretched across several hours before sunrise. DeKalb County police said officers first responded just after 12:52 a.m. outside a Checkers on Wesley Chapel Road, where a woman had been shot multiple times. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died. Her identity had not been released by Monday night. The second attack came before 3 a.m. near the Kroger at Cherokee Plaza in Brookhaven. Police said a 49-year-old man was sleeping outside when shots were fired. He survived and was hospitalized in critical condition. Then, at about 6:50 a.m., officers answered a person shot call on Battle Forrest Drive near Manassas Lane and found Bullis dead.
Police said the three crime scenes were connected through evidence gathered during the day. Officials said investigators identified a silver Volkswagen Jetta that was seen leaving at least one scene and used surveillance footage and license plate reader technology to track it. The search moved beyond DeKalb County, and state and regional law enforcement agencies helped stop the vehicle in Troup County. Abel was arrested without incident. Brookhaven police said he was immediately charged there with aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Other charges were still being assembled as detectives worked through the two homicide cases in DeKalb County.
The killing on Battle Forrest Drive drew particular attention because neighbors said Bullis was well known in the area. Residents described her as kind and said she walked her dog on the street nearly every day. Witness accounts to local stations painted a fast-moving scene, with gunfire heard between about 6:30 and 7 a.m. and a man seen fleeing after Bullis was found on the ground. Police have not said whether Bullis knew the suspect or whether she was targeted for any specific reason. That same uncertainty hangs over the other two shootings. Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley said investigators had found no prior involvement between the suspect and the wounded man there.
The public facts remain limited, but the scale of the investigation widened quickly because the shootings crossed jurisdictions and involved both fatal and nonfatal victims. DeKalb County Police Chief Greg Padrick said the county had been investigating two separate homicides from early Monday before detectives were able to connect them. Brookhaven and DeKalb police then presented a joint account of the case, a sign of how closely the departments were working as they sorted out the timeline, witness statements and forensic evidence. Authorities said the suspect’s arrest removed any known continuing threat connected to him, but they stressed that the case was still active.
What happens next will center on formal charging decisions, court appearances and continued evidence review. DeKalb County officials had not yet publicly detailed all charges tied to the two deaths by the time of the evening briefing, though local reporting said murder counts were expected or had been filed in the county case. Investigators also still need to release the name of the woman killed near Checkers once family notification is complete. Police have not announced a motive, explained why Bullis was both shot and stabbed, or said whether one weapon or more than one was involved. Those unanswered questions are likely to shape the next phase of the investigation.
For now, the case stands as a rare burst of violence that touched a commercial strip, a grocery parking area and a neighborhood street in one morning. In public statements, police expressed sympathy for the victims and their families while emphasizing how quickly agencies moved from separate crime scenes to one arrest. The next major step is expected to come as investigators finalize charges and release additional case details.
Author note: Last updated April 14, 2026.