MEETING WITH THE FAMILY OF ZADARIOUS DORSEY
REGARDING THE OCTOBER 3, 2026 OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING IN NEWNAN
On the morning of October 9, 2026 in the Coweta County Justice Center, the District Attorney met with members of the family of Zadarious Dorsey, who was shot and killed by a Newnan Police Department (NPD) officer at approximately 1 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2026. Eleven family members attended the meeting, including Dorsey’s grandmother, brother, sister, uncle, multiple aunts, and multiple cousins. The DA was joined by the Chief Assistant DA, the DA Victim Advocate assigned to the case, multiple DA Investigators, and GBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC) Jessica Sales, who is leading the investigation. The parties met for over two hours.
The purpose of the meeting was to give the family the opportunity to review evidence that had been gathered during the investigation thus far, including the body-worn-camera video of the officer who shot Dorsey and frame-by-frame screenshots of that video. Along with the evidence itself, the DA’s presentation focused on an evidence-based timeline and some explanation of relevant Georgia law.
In addition to the body-worn camera video, the following evidence was presented to the family and reviewed to whatever extent the family wished to review it: NPD radio traffic, surveillance video of Cliff Circle, surveillance video from Winston Dowdell Academy (WDA) and Central Education Center (CEC), taser data, the GBI’s crime scene sketch, photos of the ski mask worn by Dorsey, screen shots of NPD officers’ body-worn camera videos, and crime scene photos of the firearm located at the scene. The family was also notified that the gun found at the scene was reported stolen out of Albany, Georgia in 2020.
The District Attorney informed the family about Georgia law regarding the use of deadly force and self-defense, the potential admissibility of a shooting victim’s prior possession of firearms and prior crimes in a self-defense case, and the difference between tier-one and tier-two police-citizen encounters. The District Attorney explained that after the GBI completes their investigation, the DA’s Office will be analyzing whether it can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer was unreasonable to believe that deadly force was necessary to protect himself from death or great bodily injury. Once the DA determines how and whether to proceed, he will meet with the family to explain his analysis and decision.
The DA also discussed with the family whether to release any evidence to the public. The consensus of the family was to release the body-worn camera video up to and including the shooting but excluding any images of Dorsey’s suffering. Therefore, as explained to the family, it is the intention of the DA to release the evidence shown to the family, as well as the DA’s presentation and timeline, after the GBI Medical Examiner has completed his Autopsy Report, which the DA’s Office expects to receive within the month.
JOHN HERBERT CRANFORD, JR.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY
COWETA JUDICIAL CIRCUIT