Olaolukitan Abel, a dual Nigerian-American citizen, has died in custody following his arrest for illegal firearm possession in connection with the murder of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officer in Decatur, Georgia.
According to a statement released by U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia — published on April 17 on the Department of Justice website — Abel was arrested after an investigation traced the officer’s killing to him.
Early on April 13, 2026, DeKalb County Police responded to a reported homicide in a residential area of Decatur, where they discovered the victim, later identified by DHS as employee Lauren Bullis. At the scene, officers recovered a loaded 9mm pistol and five 9mm cartridge casings.
Hertzberg explained that a National Tracing Center analysis determined the gun had been purchased by Damon Marquis Yarns from a licensed firearms dealer in Midtown Atlanta on February 20, 2026. In a subsequent interview with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Yarns reportedly admitted buying the firearm for a man he only knew as “Abdul or Obie,” whom he later identified in a photo lineup as Abel. Yarns stated that Abel arranged and paid for his travel to purchase the gun, and that he falsely claimed to be the actual buyer on ATF forms. After the sale, Yarns handed the weapon to Abel and had no further possession of it.
On April 13, Georgia State Patrol troopers stopped Abel’s vehicle in Troup County. A search uncovered a box of 9mm ammunition and shell casings matching the brand found at the Decatur crime scene. Abel was arrested and transferred to DeKalb County, facing multiple felony charges, including malice murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Authorities noted that Abel had prior convictions, including a felony assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon in San Diego County, California, in January 2025, and a June 2025 probation sentence for multiple misdemeanor counts of sexual battery in Chatham County, Georgia.
Meanwhile, Damon Marquis Yarns, 35, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher C. Bly and was remanded to federal custody. Abel, 26, remained incarcerated at the DeKalb County Jail.
Authorities emphasized that the charges were allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
However, according to a New York Post report, Abel was found unresponsive in his cell on April 21. Despite lifesaving efforts by authorities, he was pronounced dead. The cause of death has yet to be determined, but officials do not suspect foul play and are conducting an internal review.
In related news, it was also reported that for the third time in April, a Nigerian national, Ademola Oke, was found dead at his workplace in the United Kingdom. According to a family friend, Adejonwo Odutola, Oke had left home in good health but was later discovered dead by a colleague arriving for a night shift.
