Suspects in death of 11-year-old Paulding County boy identified, 1 arrested

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. - Three young men have been identified as the suspects in the shooting death of 11-year-old Zander Whatley of Douglasville.

Whatley was killed on April 29 while inside of his home on Ruth Way.

Whatley's mother, Shareeda Alexander Dorsey, told FOX 5 Atlanta that she, her husband and 9 of their 13 children heard banging on their back door before someone opened fire.

The 11-year-old, who was a 5th grade student at Hutchens Elementary School, was struck by a bullet as he was trying to run upstairs, his mother said.

The family said at the time of the shooting that they believed that the shooter or shooters may have some connection to one of Zander's older siblings.

"He's friends with two of the guys. The guy who came and shot the house. He was mad because our son is friends with the other guy, he was mad at," said William Dorsey, Zander's stepfather.

<div>Zander Whatley (Photo submitted by family)</div>
Zander Whatley (Photo submitted by family)

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The Paulding County Sheriff's Office says they identified 18-year-old Osman Sesay, Jr., 19-year-old Al-Hamid Ibrahim Kuyateh, and 19-year-old Nazier Lloyd Anderson as the suspects.

Sesay was located and arrested during a traffic stop on May 11 in Charlotte, North Carolina. He will be extradited back to Georgia.

The other two suspects – Kuyateh and Anderson – are still on the loose and are considered armed and dangerous. The United States Marshals Service Southeast Regional Fugitive Unit has been asked to help with their arrest.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office at 770-443-3047 or via the Paulding Sheriff’s Office mobile app, which can be downloaded for free.