5 men now in custody, charged with killing of Paulding 11-year-old in 2024

But the search for those responsible continued until recent days, when the fifth suspect was found in Arlington, Virginia, the sheriff’s office announced Tuesday. Joseph Tarawalie, 22, was arrested Feb. 13 with help from the U.S. Marshals Service. Tarawalie was extradited to Paulding and booked into the jail Saturday, investigators said.

“The Paulding County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to ensuring justice for Zander Whatley and his family,” the sheriff’s office said. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and express our gratitude to the GBI and the U.S. Marshal Fugitive Task Force for their invaluable assistance in this case.”

By the time Tarawalie was in custody, the four other suspects had been indicted on 14 charges including malice murder, according to court records. Al-Hamid Ibrahim Kuyateh, 20, Osman Sesay Jr., 19, Nazier Lloyd Anderson, 20, and Modou Stephenson, 20, are all being held without bond in the Paulding jail.

In addition to the murder charges, all four were indicted Feb. 5 on 11 counts of aggravated assault, the indictment states. There were multiple people in the home at the time of the shooting, including other children, according to investigators.

No details have been released regarding the events leading to the deadly shooting.

Zander is survived by his parents, four sisters, seven brothers and two stepbrothers, according to his obituary. His funeral was held May 11, 2024, on what would have been his 12th birthday. Zander was a member of the Hal Hutchens Elementary School student council and played soccer, baseball and one season of football, according to his obituary.

After his death, Zander’s teacher, Zuri West, posted a heartbreaking tribute on Facebook that was shared hundreds of times:

“On Monday, April 29th, I lost one of my favorite small humans.

I lost a light.

I lost my daily ‘good morning Ms. West.’

I lost laughter.

I lost MY student.”