Suspect indicted for 2021 murder at Marietta apartment
Oct. 7—Donald Bannister was indicted on eight charges Friday by a Cobb grand jury, more than a year after he was named the suspect in a nighttime shooting at a Marietta apartment complex.
Bannister, 19, was arrested in East Point in August of this year after eluding police for 14 months. He is accused of murdering 30-year-old Norval Bailey in June 2021 at an apartment on Massachussetts Avenue in the Fair Oaks neighborhood.
Bannister's charges include murder, aggravated assault, and two counts of violating Georgia's street gang statute. A warrant for his arrest accused him of being a member of a local affiliate of the Bloods.
Police previously accused Bannister of shooting Bailey after an argument at the apartment complex. Bailey was found unresponsive and bleeding from a gunshot wound, and was rushed to Wellstar Kennestone Hospital before being pronounced dead.
Police searched nearby apartments on the following day, arresting Sherman Johnson, 30, of Marietta. Johnson was charged with tampering with evidence and is currently out on bond while he awaits trial.
