18-Year-Old Killed by Newnan Police Faced Felony Charges. Mayor Urges Fairness

An 18-year-old Newnan man killed by police Saturday was awaiting arraignment on serious felony charges stemming from an alleged sexual assault in Carrollton, but Newnan Mayor James Shepherd says those charges should not determine how the public judges the circumstances of his death.

Zadarious Dorsey was shot multiple times by a Newnan Police Department officer shortly after 1 a.m. October 3 during a foot chase near Cliff Circle. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says Dorsey pulled a gun from his waistband after an officer attempted to stop him.

Now, as Dorsey’s family prepares to bury him and a protest is planned outside the Newnan Police Department on Friday, October 9, new information is emerging about his previous legal troubles, the ongoing investigation, and the efforts of local leaders to understand what happened.

Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney Herb Cranford has confirmed that his office possesses both the officer’s body camera footage and video showing the location where the encounter began. He has offered Dorsey’s family an opportunity to review that evidence before considering whether to release it publicly.

Meanwhile, Shepherd and Coweta County NAACP President Dr. Cynthia Finney, interviewed separately by The Citizen, say they are waiting for the investigation before reaching conclusions about the shooting.

Mayor: Dorsey was not on trial for earlier charges

Dorsey was arrested February 14 in Carrollton in connection with an incident involving five sisters who told police they had been threatened and pressured to have sex with several men.

According to reporting by Rebecca Leftwich in the Times-Georgian, the sisters had been kicked out of their Atlanta home and accepted a ride to a Carrollton apartment from a man they did not know well.

The sisters told Carrollton police that the following day, men at the apartment demanded that they have sex before they would be allowed to return home. One man allegedly pointed a gun at them.

According to the police account reported by the Times-Georgian, the sisters refused the demands and were eventually allowed to leave. They went to a McDonald’s, where a stranger helped them contact police.

Three men were arrested in connection with the incident.

Dorsey was charged with felony child molestation, felony statutory rape, and misdemeanor battery. The other two defendants, Tavarea Antonia Shaheed Williams and Elisha Terrel Boswell, faced separate charges, including aggravated assault and firearms offenses.

According to FOX 5 Atlanta’s October 5 reporting, a Carroll County grand jury indicted Dorsey in August. He had been released on a $20,000 bond and was scheduled to be arraigned this week.

The allegations against Dorsey were never resolved at trial.

Shepherd, who is also an attorney, acknowledged the seriousness of the charges but emphasized that they were separate from the circumstances of the police shooting.

“Whatever kind of charges this young man was facing outside of this incident, he was not on trial for that when he was in that car,” Shepherd told The Citizen.

“We have to stick to the facts of what happened in this case, not necessarily try to bring the totality of everything into what happened here,” he said.

The mayor cautioned against people rushing to condemn either Dorsey or the officer before the investigative evidence is available.

“I just don’t have an opinion until I actually have the report, actually see what happened, and have a better understanding,” Shepherd said.

What happened on Cliff Circle?

According to the GBI’s preliminary investigation, a Newnan Police Department officer observed a white car near Dodson Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive around 1 a.m. Saturday.

The officer followed the car until it stopped on Cliff Circle, then approached to speak with its occupants.

Five people exited the vehicle, according to the GBI. Four ran, while one walked toward a nearby house.

The officer chased Dorsey, repeatedly ordering him to stop. When Dorsey continued running, the officer deployed a Taser, which investigators say was ineffective.

The GBI reported that Dorsey then pulled a gun from his waistband. The officer ordered him to stop and drop the weapon before firing multiple shots.

Officers attempted lifesaving measures, and Dorsey was transported to a hospital, where he died.

Investigators recovered a handgun at the scene.

The GBI has not publicly explained why the officer initially followed the vehicle or why he pursued Dorsey rather than the others who ran.

Those questions remain part of the larger effort to establish what happened during the encounter.

Shepherd said the officer has been placed on administrative leave and that the Newnan Police Department has initiated an internal affairs investigation separate from the GBI investigation.

The mayor expressed confidence in the department’s willingness to examine the shooting thoroughly.

“We have a police department that has incredibly high standards and meets them over and over again,” Shepherd said.

He pointed to the department’s decision to immediately request GBI assistance, initiate its internal investigation, and place the officer on leave.

Shepherd said he has spent considerable time speaking with members of the Concerned Black Clergy, NAACP leadership, and other community representatives following the shooting. He also plans to meet with Dorsey’s family.

Despite the unanswered questions, he said the community should recognize that an 18-year-old has died.

“I think we should mourn the loss of this young man,” Shepherd said.

District attorney offers family first look at body camera footage

In an October 6 statement, Cranford confirmed that his office already has significant video evidence from the shooting.

That includes footage from the body-worn camera of the officer who shot Dorsey and footage from another camera showing Cliff Circle, where the initial encounter and foot chase began.

Cranford said he contacted Dorsey’s grandmother October 5 and offered to meet with the family to explain the criminal justice process for officer-involved shootings and review the evidence.

A man assisting Dorsey’s grandmother with the call told Cranford that the family was grieving and was not ready to meet.

Cranford provided the family with contact information for a victim advocate and invited them to schedule a meeting when they are ready.

The district attorney also requested expedited forensic testing and completion of the autopsy report. According to his statement, Dorsey’s autopsy was completed October 6, although the final report was not yet available.

Cranford said Georgia law generally exempts investigative records from public disclosure while an investigation or prosecution is pending.

However, he will consider releasing evidence, including the videos, after Dorsey’s family has had the opportunity to review it and provide input about public release.

The statement does not guarantee that the footage will be made public.

NAACP supporting family, but not organizing protest

Dr. Cynthia Finney, president of the Coweta County NAACP, said Dorsey’s family reached out to the organization seeking assistance.

Finney told The Citizen that Dorsey’s aunt, Angela, contacted her after the shooting. The organization is working to help the family understand the investigative process and obtain answers.

“We want the city to be transparent with the community when they get the final autopsy report and review of the investigation of what happened,” Finney said.

She emphasized that the NAACP is not making judgments about the shooting before investigators complete their work.

Even if the evidence shows that Dorsey had a gun and pointed it toward the officer, Finney said the organization would still want to understand the full circumstances and police procedures involved.

“I think that’s only a piece of the puzzle of what happened,” she said.

Finney said the case also presents an opportunity to educate young people, particularly young Black men, about how to respond during encounters with police.

She hopes that providing the community with accurate information will help ease tensions and guide any future recommendations for changes to police procedures.

A protest is scheduled for Friday, October 9, at 2 p.m. outside the Newnan Police Department.

Finney was explicit that the Coweta County NAACP is not organizing or participating in that demonstration.

She identified local activist Stacey Bristow as an organizer.

Shepherd also identified Bristow as someone involved in Friday’s protest. He described her as a Newnan activist who has been involved in Black Lives Matter activities and efforts to establish a civilian review board to examine police conduct.

The Citizen reached out to Bristow and offered her an opportunity to be interviewed, but an interview could not be scheduled before publication.

Finney said the NAACP’s immediate focus is assisting Dorsey’s family and waiting for the investigative findings before determining what additional steps the organization might take.

A family grieves as the investigation continues

The shooting has left Dorsey’s relatives facing both the loss of an 18-year-old family member and the public scrutiny surrounding his criminal charges and the circumstances of his death.

His aunt, Angela Brown, spoke about their close relationship in an interview with FOX 5 Atlanta, describing Dorsey as someone who made her feel loved.

The family’s questions about the shooting remain unanswered. Cranford’s offer to let relatives review the footage gives them an opportunity to see some of the evidence before any potential public release.

Shepherd said he understands that people may have strong reactions to the incident, but he believes both the officer’s conduct and Dorsey’s actions must be evaluated according to the evidence.

He also stressed his support for the Newnan Police Department, which he said has demonstrated a commitment to accountability and civil rights.

Finney said she hopes the investigation will ultimately help the community understand what happened and whether anything needs to change.

“This is very very unfortunate that we’re having to deal with this,” she said. “The thing is, we cannot bring him back. However, we want to make sure that justice is served on his behalf and do what we can to keep things like this from happening in our community.”

The GBI investigation remains ongoing. Its findings will be submitted to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

For now, the evidence that could answer many of the questions surrounding Dorsey’s death has not been released publicly.

Read The Citizen’s original October 3 report on the shooting.