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A public servant, a loving father and a preteen’s mother: These are the victims of the Atlanta-area shootings
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A loving father with a budding family. A dedicated Department of Homeland Security employee. A mother with a preteen. These are the people who lost their lives after a killing spree last week across several Atlanta suburbs left three families devastated. On April 13, 40-year-old Lauren Bullis, 31-year-old Prianna Weathers and 48-year-old Tony Matthews were shot within hours of each other as they were out doing the ordinary tasks of life. Based on surveillance footage and license plate readers, authorities have said they believe one man, 26-year-old Olaolukitan Adon Abel of Atlanta, shot all three victims in a rampage that has been highlighted by the Trump administration. Bullis and Weathers immediately died from their injuries. Matthews was hospitalized for six days until he died April 19. The suspect, Adon Abel, died in jail on April 21. The cause of death has not been determined, but officials don’t suspect criminal activity or foul play. Matthews was part of a big family as one of four brothers – and he was starting his own family as well. He and his wife had a daughter last year, his sister-in-law Miranda Matthews told CNN, and he recently brought over his three stepchildren from Uganda, where their mother is from. He was working to get the children visas, but that process is now paused as his family reels from the loss of their loving father and husband, she said. Tony Matthews was the type of person who would help anyone, she said. The birth of his daughter, who will turn 1 in June, was an incredibly special moment for him, his brother Michael Matthews said. “He was so happy. It made him an even better person, and he was already a great person,” he said. Police previously said Tony Matthews was unhoused, but his family said he wasn’t, clarifying he didn’t have his ID when he was found shot outside a Brookhaven grocery store in the early hours of April 13. As his condition declined, his daughter was there to say goodbye, a moment the family recorded so she would have the memory of her doting father, Miranda Matthews said. The family is currently fundraising to help pay for his funeral. At her job at DHS, Bullis was known as a dedicated employee and “consummate professional” who was “committed to public service,” according to her obituary. But she was also an adventurous explorer who traveled the world and brought joy to friends near and far. “You couldn’t meet her and not be her friend,” fellow DHS auditor Ashley Toillion told The Associated Press. “She was just the nicest, sweetest, most encouraging person I’ve ever met.” Bullis was a beloved fixture in her neighborhood – often seen running, walking her French bulldog, Sancho, or tending to the flowers she planted in her yard. She “embraced the sport of running with great gusto, having run 5ks, 10ks, and half-marathons across the country,” her obituary says. “On visits to loved ones, Lauren always asked for a spare key so she could get her miles in without waking her hosts.” Just last month, Bullis completed her first marathon in Atlanta. “She’s very athletic,” neighbor Portia Powell said. “If she ain’t walking the dog, she’s running.” Powell forged a strong friendship with Bullis in recent years, bonding over their shared love of gardening. “She’s always, ‘Hey, Miss Portia, how you doing?’… so outgoing and friendly,” Powell said. Bullis was shot and stabbed while walking her dog in Panthersville – an unincorporated community about 15 miles southeast of downtown Atlanta – and her death has “impacted the neighborhood tremendously,” Powell said. “I think it would make us all more aware of what’s going on in the neighborhood and look out for each other.” The tragedy devastated colleagues at the DHS Office of Inspector General, where Bullis was an auditor and a team leader, the agency said. “Lauren approached her work with integrity, thoughtfulness, and a commitment to excellence that strengthened our organization and the communities we serve,” DHS said. “She brought warmth, kindness, and a genuine sense of care to her colleagues each day.” Bullis’ husband, stepdaughter, parents and siblings are now united in grief, robbed of their generous, hilarious, globe-trotting beacon of light. “She put the needs of others before her own, tending many times over the years to sick friends and ones who had merely overindulged. She was enormous fun, a great host, dignified, unpretentious, and riotously funny,” Bullis’ obituary says. “Lauren loved travel, alone or with others, having visited far-flung locales in Egypt, Peru, Greece, Spain, Ireland, and France, among many, many others,” it read. “She was forever planning her next journey.” While the string of attacks rattles communities in Georgia, Prianna Weathers’ mother mourns privately in her North Carolina home. “This was a senseless death,” she told CNN. “All of these people he killed … these were innocent people. He had no reason to be harming them. They weren’t doing anything to him.” Weathers was killed in Decatur, not far from where she was born 31 years ago, her mother said. She asked not to be identified to protect the privacy of Weathers’ 12-year-old son, whom she suddenly finds herself raising and who must grow up without his mother. It’s not clear why the three were attacked, and investigators are investigating whether the attacks were random. Bullis’ employment at DHS and Adon Abel’s status as a naturalized citizen have sparked questions – and criticism from the agency about crimes the suspect committed after he became a US citizen. Don Plummer of the Georgia Public Defender Council declined to detail the suspect’s case and background. “We understand the intense public attention surrounding this case, but Mr. Abel has the same constitutional rights as any other accused person, and our job is to protect those rights in court,” he told CNN. “This is a tragic and serious case. Nothing about defending constitutional rights minimizes that. In fact, the rule of law matters most when emotions are high and the allegations are the most serious.” Adon Abel, a native of the United Kingdom, became a naturalized US citizen in 2022, DHS said. The naturalization process often takes years, and it’s not clear whether the bulk of Adon Abel’s processing took place during the first Trump administration or the Biden administration. DHS did not answer CNN’s question about the suspect’s naturalization timeline. DHS blamed the previous administration for Adon Abel’s naturalization, describing the suspect as a “monster” in a Facebook post. The agency also said Adon Abel was convicted of several crimes, including sexual battery and assault with a deadly weapon. Court records show a defendant listed as Adon Olaolukitan pleaded guilty to four counts of misdemeanor sexual battery for a 2025 incident in Georgia and was sentenced to 48 months of probation. Another court filing shows a defendant named “Olaolukitan Adonabel” pleaded guilty to a 2024 felony assault with a deadly weapon “other than a firearm on a Police officer or firefighter” in California. That record notes the suspect’s name may also appear as Olaolukitan Adon Abel or Adon Olaolukitan. The records show a few other charges, but those cases were dismissed. The public defender council lambasted DHS’ characterization of the suspect. “It is irresponsible and troubling for public officials to label an accused person a ‘monster’ before adjudication,” Plummer said. “That kind of language may be politically convenient, but it is corrosive to due process and to the basic right to a fair trial.” Adon Abel was taken into custody April 13 during a traffic stop in Georgia’s Troup County, which borders Alabama. He now faces several charges including two counts of malice murder, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, police said. After Matthews died, police said they are seeking to add another charge of malice murder. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN’s Chris Boyette reported from Decatur, Georgia; Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta; and Taylor Romine reported and wrote from Los Angeles. CNN’s Sneha Dhandapani, Ryan Young, Jason Morris and Lindsey Knight contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com
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