COWETA COUNTY, Ga. - The family of an 18-year-old killed in a Newnan police shooting has reviewed body camera footage and other evidence as the district attorney prepares to determine whether the officer's use of deadly force was justified.


Coweta Judicial Circuit District Attorney John Herbert Cranford Jr. met with 11 members of Zadarious Dorsey's family on Oct. 9 to review evidence gathered in the investigation into the deadly shooting, which happened around 1 a.m. Oct. 3.

The meeting at the Coweta County Justice Center lasted more than two hours and included the Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent leading the case, along with district attorney's office investigators and a victim advocate.

According to the district attorney's office, the family reviewed the officer's body camera footage, police radio traffic, surveillance videos, Taser data, crime scene photographs and other evidence.

The family was also told that the gun recovered at the scene had been reported stolen in Albany in 2020.

Following the meeting, the district attorney said the family agreed that body camera footage showing the incident up to and including the shooting should be released publicly, but without images depicting Dorsey's suffering.

Cranford said his office intends to release the evidence presented to the family, along with a presentation and timeline explaining the case, after the GBI Medical Examiner completes the autopsy report.

The district attorney's office expects to receive the report within the month.

The GBI is conducting an independent investigation at the request of the Newnan Police Department.

Once the investigation is complete, the case will be submitted to the district attorney's office for review.

Cranford told the family that his office will evaluate whether prosecutors can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officer was unreasonable in believing deadly force was necessary to protect himself from death or great bodily injury.

The district attorney also discussed Georgia law regarding deadly force, self-defense and pol
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