Family hires Ben Crump after 18-year-old killed by Newnan police

NEWNAN, Ga. - The family of an 18-year-old killed in an officer-involved shooting in Newnan has hired national civil rights attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels, as conflicting accounts emerge over the fatal encounter.

What we know:

The shooting happened around 1 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3, near Cliff Circle in Newnan.

According to police and state investigators, an officer followed a vehicle. When the car stopped, several men inside exited and ran.

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The officer chased 18-year-old Zadarious Dorsey behind houses along Cliff Circle, ordering him to stop. Authorities said Dorsey reached for a handgun in his waistband, prompting the officer to order him to drop the weapon before firing multiple shots. Dorsey died from his injuries. Police said a handgun was recovered at the scene.

Attorneys Ben Crump and Harry Daniels announced Thursday that they have taken on the case, presenting a sharply conflicting version of events based on their review of video footage.

The attorneys argue that the officer followed the car without activating blue emergency lights and that Dorsey was not the subject of a legal traffic stop or suspected of any crime. The legal team contends that video shows Dorsey was unarmed when he was chased down and shot.

What they're saying:

The family's legal team released a statement condemning the officer's actions and calling for accountability:

"This wasn’t some traffic stop where the suspects fled. It wasn’t a traffic stop at all. This officer pulled behind them with no blue lights on and, even though he had no reason to suspect Zadarious of any crime, he chased him down and killed him when he was unarmed," the attorneys said. "It’s the same story we hear again and again as another promising Black life is snuffed out by the police. Zadarious was a teenager with his whole life ahead of him, but all that promise was stolen away by this officer for absolutely no reason."

Dorsey's aunt, Angela Brown, remembered him as her "safe place," sharing that he was her everything and always made her feel loved.

His family said they still have unanswered questions about why deadly force was used. 

Dig deeper:

Records show Dorsey had an arrest history in Coweta and Carroll counties prior to the fatal encounter.

In August, a grand jury indicted Dorsey on charges of child molestation, statutory rape and battery. Those charges stemmed from a Feb. 13 incident where police alleged he and two other men held five girls, including a 14-year-old, at gunpoint inside an apartment. Dorsey was out on a $20,000 bond and had been scheduled for arraignment on those charges.

Jail records also show Dorsey was arrested in October 2025 at age 17 on charges of loitering, tampering with evidence, and possessing a firearm under age 18, along with a separate arrest in March for marijuana possession.

Police noted that it does not appear the officer who pursued Dorsey knew his identity or chased him because of his prior criminal record.

What we don't know:

Authorities have not publicly released the identity of the officer involved. Officials have also not made the bodycam footage or neighborhood surveillance footage public. 

What's next:

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is continuing an independent inquiry into the shooting. Once completed, the GBI's findings will be handed over to the Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office. The family's attorneys confirmed they are reviewing grounds for a potential civil rights lawsuit.