BROOKHAVEN, GA — Police say they have charged a Navy veteran with malice murder in connection with a shooting that killed a 48-year-old man during a crime spree in DeKalb County.
Brookhaven Police on Monday said Tony E. Matthews died of his injuries after the April 13 shooting at a Peachtree Road shopping center.
The man accused in his death, United Kingdom native Olaolukitan Adon Abel, is also accused of fatally shooting a Department of Homeland Security worker at Battle Forest Drive and another woman near a Wesley Chapel Road fast-food restaurant.
All three shootings occurred in the same morning in Decatur, and state troopers arrested Abel that afternoon in Troup County, police previously said.
Abel was already facing murder charges issued by the DeKalb County Police, among other charges.
"The loss of Mr. Tony E. Matthews is a tragedy that deeply affects his family and our entire community," Brookhaven Police Chief Brandon Gurley said in a news release. "The Brookhaven Police Department is committed to conducting a thorough and professional investigation into this incident. We will continue to work closely with the DeKalb County Police
Department, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office and state partners to ensure that all aspects of these serious crimes are comprehensively investigated and that justice is served."
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Department Secretary Markwayne Mullin identified the DHS worker as Lauren Bullis, 40. Police have not identified the second woman who died; however, her family identified her Prianna Weathers, 31, in a WXIA-TV report.
Mullin accused Abel, who was naturalized in 2022, of killing Bullis while she walked her dog.
DeKalb County Jail records on mid-Monday morning did not appear to reflect the third count of malice murder, which Abel is facing. He was previously charged with two counts.
However, jail records did show Abel faces aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon or first offender probationer. He is being held without bond.
Toyin Adon Abel Jr., the defendant’s brother, told The Associated Press he did not want to talk about his brother when reached by phone but expressed sympathy for the victims. “I feel terrible for the victims, their families and their connections,” he said. “It’s a horrible thing.”
In 2024, Abel was arrested and charged with assaulting two Coronado, California police officers and attacking another person. He pleaded guilty, court records show, and he was kicked out of the Navy in September of that year.
Mullin said Abel had an extensive criminal history, including being charged with sexual battery and battery against a police officer.
The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.
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