Griffin murder suspect arrested in shooting outside high school football game

17-year-old accused of killing 14-year-old
A Griffin murder suspect was found with a Glock handgun when he was arrested Saturday, authorities said.

Credit: Spalding County Sheriff's Office

Credit: Spalding County Sheriff's Office

A Griffin murder suspect was found with a Glock handgun when he was arrested Saturday, authorities said.

A 17-year-old accused of killing a classmate outside a metro Atlanta high school football game was arrested after a week on the run, police said Monday.

Kaomarion Kendricks was charged with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a pistol by persons under 18, reckless conduct and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony following the Oct. 1 shooting. It happened near Griffin High School, where the Griffin-Spalding County game was being played.

A 14-year-old, Emmanuel Dorsey, was killed and Kendricks was quickly identified as the suspect. Investigators previously said the two were classmates, but a motive for the shooting was not released.

Kendricks’s whereabouts were unknown until Saturday, when investigators tracked him to a Henry County home, according to Spalding Sheriff Darrell Dix. Henry County investigators assisted Spalding deputies, Griffin officers, the GBI and the Georgia State Patrol with the arrest, the sheriff said.

“From the very beginning, the facts and leads we were following said that he was still in the local area,” Dix said in a news release. “This particular group of investigators, officers, agents, deputies and our District Attorney’s Office all believed finding Kendrick was the most important thing we could do for Emmanuel Dorsey and his family.

“I am proud of them for their hard work and their tenacity in seeing this to its end. There was much more involved, it is not always as simple as just ‘pinging a phone’ like you see on TV, and their efforts paid off,” Dix said.

Press release from Sheriff Darrell Dix.

Posted by Spalding County Sheriff's Office on Monday, October 9, 2023

At the time of his arrest, Kendricks had a Glock handgun with a full-auto switch attached, the sheriff’s office said. Details were not released on whether investigators believe the handgun was used in the shooting. Kendricks was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Spalding jail, where he was being held without bond Monday.

Dorsey was days away from his 15th birthday, according to his online obituary. His funeral will be held Friday at Holly Grove AME Church in Peachtree City.