NEWNAN, GA. (THECOUNT) — Zadarious Dorsey, 18, of Newnan, has been identified as the person shot and killed early Saturday after a Newnan police officer fired multiple rounds during a foot pursuit in Coweta County, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Dorsey had previously faced criminal charges in connection with a February incident in Carrollton involving five sisters who authorities said were held at gunpoint and pressured to engage in sexual activity. According to the Times-Georgian, Dorsey was arrested along with two other men and charged with felony child molestation, statutory rape and misdemeanor battery. The allegations were unrelated to Saturday’s fatal officer-involved shooting in Newnan.
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The incident began at approximately 1 a.m. Oct. 3 when a Newnan police officer saw a white car near the intersection of Dodson Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The officer followed the vehicle until it stopped on Cliff Circle, where he approached and attempted to speak with the driver.
Five men then exited the vehicle, according to the GBI. One walked toward a nearby home while the other four ran from the area. The officer pursued one of the men, later identified as Dorsey.
During the foot pursuit, the officer gave Dorsey verbal commands to stop, but Dorsey continued running. The officer deployed a Taser, but it was ineffective, the GBI said.
The officer then saw Dorsey pull a gun from his waistband area and ordered him to stop and drop the weapon, according to investigators. The officer subsequently shot Dorsey multiple times.
Officers provided medical aid until emergency medical personnel arrived. Dorsey was transported to an area hospital, where he later died from his injuries. A gun was recovered at the scene, the GBI said.
No officers were injured. The GBI is conducting an independent investigation at the request of the Newnan Police Department.
Dorsey’s body will be transported to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.
The investigation remains active and ongoing. The GBI has not announced any charges against the officer involved in the shooting.
Newnan is the county seat of Coweta County and is located approximately 40 miles southwest of Atlanta, placing the shooting within the Atlanta metropolitan region.
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