Olaolukitan Abel, a 26-year-old Nigerian-American based in Atlanta, Georgia, allegedly killed two women and critically injured a man in a series of random shootings across DeKalb County and Brookhaven.
The police were able to apprehend the suspect with the aid of a license plate reader technology, which helped to trace his silver Volkswagen Jetta rental car used in the shootings.
According to the police, Mr Abel shot and killed a woman walking her dog, killed another woman outside of a Checkers restaurant, and severely injured a man sleeping outside a business centre.
Brookhaven Police Chief, Brandon Gurley, told reporters on Monday, April 13, that investigators believe that Mr Abel carried out multiple shootings over several hours early in the morning.
DeKalb police confirmed that the violence began around 12:50 a.m. outside a Checkers restaurant on Wesley Chapel Road, where a woman was shot multiple times.
“She later died from her injuries,” DeKalb police said.
The DeKalb police noted that another deadly shooting happened around 6:50 a.m., also involving another woman identified as 40-year-old Lauren Bullis, who was shot multiple times and stabbed to death while walking her dog on Battle Forest Drive. Ms Bullis is a DHS employee attached to the department’s inspector-general’s office in Atlanta.
Between the shooting incidents, Brookhaven police officers responded around 2 a,m. to an incident at Cherokee Plaza shopping centre outside a Kroger off Peachtree Road, where a 49-year-old homeless man was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Police authorities said he had been sleeping when he was shot from a vehicle.
“Officers arrived within three minutes and began rendering aid,” Mr Gurley told pressmen, adding that the man was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he remains in very critical condition.
The police said the shootings spanned multiple jurisdictions, including unincorporated DeKalb County and Brookhaven.
“This case highlights the strong importance of interagency partnerships,” Mr Gurley said.
He added that investigators were able to connect the shootings within the first few hours due to the information shared publicly and through media reports.
The police, however, said the shootings were believed to be random as none of the victims appeared to have any connection to the suspect.
“This was a completely random attack,” Mr Gurley said, while describing the pattern of shootings as “particularly alarming,” adding that it could have continued if the suspect had not been identified.
The suspect has been detained in police custody in Troup County, and is facing charges bordering on murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Mr Abel also has British citizenship. He moved from the UK to the U.S. and was naturalised under Joe Biden in 2022. DHS said he was a repeated offender, with convictions for sexual battery, battery against a police officer, and assault with a deadly weapon, according to Fox News.
