The search continues for the assailant who fatally shot an 11-year-old boy Monday night in Paulding County, as his grieving family and community seek justice. Zander Whatley was struck and killed by gunfire that penetrated the walls of his family home in the Smallwood Farms subdivision, his life tragically ended within the very walls meant to provide shelter and safety.
Zander, described as a joyous child who carried the spirit of his family, was not the intended target; the bullets had been meant for someone else, as the chaos unfolded late in the evening, Shareeda Alexander Dorsey, Zander's mother, told FOX5 Atlanta, mentioning that her family was at home when they heard the ominous banging at their backdoor, then a barrage of bullets. Zander was struck by a stray bullet while running upstairs in an attempt to evade the gunfire, his life cut short in the midst of a senseless act of violence linked to a dispute involving one of his older siblings, which is now shrouded in the sorrow of what lies ahead, the birthdays he will never celebrate, the school days he will never see.
Authorities, having been summoned to the Ruth Way residence where Zander was found critically wounded, are urging anyone with information on this heinous crime to come forward. The Paulding County Sheriff's Office, alongside the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, are spearheading the inquiry, with clues being solicited through the Paulding Sheriff’s Office tip line and mobile app, as reported by FOX5 Atlanta.
In the devastating aftermath, William Dorsey, Zander's stepfather, and Paul Alexander, his grandfather, have shared their heartbreak, with Mr. Alexander implored aggressors to put the guns down, to pause and recognize the irreparable damage such actions cause which was communicated in an interview with FOX5 Atlanta; "You gotta be really bold to do something like that," as deputies have continued their diligent search since the fatal night, no arrests have thus far been made.
Zander, a fifth grader at Hal Hutchens Elementary, has been remembered as both a beacon of happiness and the familial glue, with his mother poignantly reflecting in a statement given to Atlanta News First about her son, "It’s hard especially on school days, when I’m at work I normally call him at 6:30. I call him for him to wake everybody up." The community, recoiling from the shock, is standing in support of the Whatley family during this time of immense grief, as a MealTrain account has been established to aid them through these harrowing times.
