State investigators say Zadarious Dorsey pulled a handgun during a foot chase before a Newnan officer opened fire early Saturday.
NEWNAN, Ga. — The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is examining a fatal encounter between a Newnan police officer and an 18-year-old man after authorities said a late-night encounter with a car turned into a foot chase and ended with the officer shooting the fleeing man.
Zadarious Dorsey, 18, of Newnan, died after the Oct. 3 shooting near Cliff Circle, according to the GBI. The agency said the Newnan Police Department asked it to conduct an independent investigation. No officers were injured. Investigators have described their account as preliminary, and several parts of the encounter — including why the officer initially followed the car and whether video captured the shooting — have not been publicly explained.
The encounter began at about 1 a.m. when a Newnan officer saw a white car traveling near Dodson Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, according to the GBI. Investigators said the officer followed the car until it stopped on Cliff Circle. The officer then approached the vehicle and attempted to speak with its driver. The GBI has not publicly said what first drew the officer’s attention to the car or whether the officer suspected a traffic or criminal violation at that point.
Five men got out of the car after it stopped, the GBI said. One walked toward a nearby home while four ran from the area. The officer pursued one of those men, later identified as Dorsey. During the chase, investigators said the officer repeatedly ordered Dorsey to stop and deployed a Taser, but the device was ineffective.
The GBI said the officer then saw Dorsey pull a handgun from his waistband area. Investigators said the officer ordered Dorsey to stop and drop the weapon before firing multiple shots. A handgun was recovered at the scene, according to the agency. Authorities have not said publicly that Dorsey fired the weapon, and the GBI’s initial statement did not say that he pointed it at the officer.
Officers provided medical aid to Dorsey until emergency medical crews arrived. He was taken to a hospital and later died. The GBI said his body was to be taken to the agency’s Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy. No final autopsy findings had been publicly announced as of Tuesday.
Dispatch information reviewed by a Coweta County local news outlet placed the foot chase and shooting within a short period early Saturday. The outlet reported that an officer radioed at about 1:13 a.m. that a person was running behind Cliff Circle, followed shortly by reports of shots fired and a request for emergency medical personnel. Those dispatch details provide additional timing but do not resolve what happened during the critical moments before the shooting.
Authorities also have not publicly identified the officer who fired or disclosed whether body-worn, dashboard or other video recorded the encounter. Those questions have become significant as Dorsey’s relatives seek more information about the circumstances that led an officer to follow the car and pursue him.
Separate court records reported by FOX 5 Atlanta show Dorsey had been indicted in Carroll County on child molestation, statutory rape and battery charges stemming from a February case and was free on bond. He had not been convicted of those allegations. FOX 5 reported that police said the officer’s decision to pursue Dorsey did not appear to have been based on his prior record, making that pending case separate from the circumstances that led to the Oct. 3 encounter.
The GBI investigation remains active. Once agents complete their work, the agency said the case file will be sent to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review. No determination about the officer’s use of force has been announced.
Author note: Last updated October 6, 2026.