Atlanta-area shooting suspect dies in DeKalb jail

Summary

A suspect in three fatal Atlanta-area shootings died in DeKalb County Jail before investigators determined a motive.

Why this matters

The death of the suspect may limit what investigators can learn about the motive in a case involving multiple killings, including a federal employee. The case also remains under review by local authorities and the medical examiner.

A man charged in a series of shootings in the Atlanta suburbs, including the killing of a Department of Homeland Security employee, died in jail before investigators identified a motive.

Olaolukitan Adon Abel, 26, was found unresponsive in his cell at the DeKalb County Jail at about 6:48 p.m., the sheriff’s office said. Officials attempted lifesaving measures, but he was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later.

The sheriff’s office said the medical examiner will determine the official cause of death, and the sheriff’s office is conducting an internal review in line with agency policy.

Adon Abel had been charged in the April 13 shootings that killed Prianna Weathers, 31, and Lauren Bullis, 40, an auditor for the Department of Homeland Security. Prosecutors were also pursuing an additional murder charge after Tony Mathews, 49, who was wounded in the attack, died Sunday.

Investigators said they had not identified a motive and did not know whether the suspect knew any of the victims. Police said at least one of the attacks may have been random.

Police said the violence began at about 12:50 a.m. April 13, when DeKalb County officers found Weathers shot multiple times in the Decatur area.

It then moved to Brookhaven, where Mathews was shot several times outside a business center.

At about 6:50 a.m. in Panthersville, south of Decatur, Bullis was found shot and stabbed. Witnesses reported seeing a man standing over her before he fled, police said.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Wednesday that Bullis was “brutally shot and stabbed to death” and identified the suspect as Adon Abel, who was naturalized in 2022 and had prior convictions that included sexual battery, assault, and battery against a police officer.

Adon Abel was originally from the United Kingdom and became a U.S. citizen in 2022 while serving in the Navy in San Diego.

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