GBI Investigates Fatal Police Shooting Of 18 Year Old In Newnan: Police Say Gun Found At Scene; Family Tells News Media They Have Unanswered Questions: This Is Coweta County’s Third Police Shooting In 2026

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) is conducting an independent investigation into an officer-involved shooting that left an 18-year-old man dead early Saturday morning in Coweta county.

According to the GBI, the incident began around 1:00 a.m. on October 3, 2026, when a Newnan Police Department officer observed a white vehicle driving near Dodson Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The officer followed the vehicle until it stopped on Cliff Circle.

The GBI’s preliminary report says five men exited the vehicle as the officer approached. One individual walked toward a nearby residence while the remaining four fled on foot. The officer pursued one of the fleeing occupants, identified as Zadarious Dorsey, an area high school student.

The report states that during the foot chase, the officer deployed a Taser, which police say proved ineffective. The GBI’s report goes on to say that Dorsey then drew a handgun from his waistband. The officer ordered Dorsey to drop the weapon before discharging their firearm, striking the teenager.

Officers at the scene administered first aid until emergency medical personnel arrived. Dorsey was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

According to law enforcement, a handgun was recovered at the scene. No police personnel were reported to have sustained injuries during the incident.

Family Demands Answers

Following the shooting, Dorsey’s family expressed frustration over what they described as a lack of communication from law enforcement. Speaking to WSB-TV, Dorsey’s aunt stated that the family had not been contacted by investigators and had not yet been permitted to identify his body.

“I’m waiting up every day for this child to get here, and he ain’t coming. No traces of him,” Dorsey’s aunt, Angela Brown told Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers.

The news station spoke exclusively to Dorsey’s family, who say they have questions that have not been answered by law enforcement–including what initially prompted police to stop the car the group was traveling in.

“We need to know why y’all followed them, when did you cut your light on, it was just one officer, when did you call for back up,” Dorsey’s aunt, Shannon Arnold said.

The family also said they want to see the body camera footage.

Dorsey was a senior at Newnan High School and planned to enlist in the Navy after graduation, according to his family.

“He wasn’t no criminal. He was somebody, and I loved him,” Brown said.

Zadarious Dorsey’s Shooting Is The Third Coweta Police-Involved Shooting In 2026

Zadarious Dorsey’s case is the third police-involved shooting in Coweta county this year: In January, the GBI investigated the police shooting of 39 year old Daniel Olsen, of Grantville, Georgia. Olsen was a former Army sniper and Purple Heart recipient who police say refused to stop when a Coweta county deputy attempted to pull him over as he was driving an off-road vehicle.

Police say Olsen locked himself inside a home and refused police demands to come out before later exiting with a gun, which he reportedly fired several times. The deputy returned fire, striking Olsen, who was transported to a local hospital where he died.

In June, Dubraye McDaniel, 64, of Atlanta, was stopped by a Coweta county deputy on I-85 near the Meriwether county line, where McDaniel’s vehicle ultimately stopped.

Officers say McDaniel unexpectedly climbed into the rear seat of his vehicle, refused to comply with police commands that he exit, and then reportedly began firing at Coweta and Meriwether county deputies, who returned fire. McDaniel died at the scene.

With Dorsey’s shooting, the GBI has investigated a total of 59 police-involved shootings across the state as of today.

Dorsey’s body was scheduled to be transferred to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy, according to the law enforcement agency.

Via The GBI:

This investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI Regional Office in Columbus at (706) 565-7888. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
The GBI will conduct an independent investigation.
Once the investigation is complete, it will be given to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review.

–GBI preliminary investigation statement