MARIETTA, Ga. — A teenage murder suspect who'd been wanted by police in Marietta for more than a year was finally caught in East Point, according to authorities.
Donald Bannister - who was 17 at the time - was identified in June 2021 as the suspect in the killing of 34-year-old Norval Bailey.
According to a release from that time by the Marietta Police Department, Bailey was shot on the evening of June 15, 2021, "lying in the street unresponsive." He later died at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital.
Police quickly caught one suspect they said was an accomplice, but Bannister - known as "Lil Ghost" - had remained at large ever since. Marietta Police said at the time that Bannister was a "known identified gang member."
The Cobb County Sheriff's Office provided the update this week in a Facebook post, saying the arrest was made last week with the help of several agencies, including the U.S. Marshals.
The sheriff's office said that during the investigation into Bannister's whereabouts, authorities learned "he was also involved in a shooting in Atlanta recently," though they did not offer any further details on that second incident.
"Once they determined a location for Bannister, they were joined by the South Metro SWAT Team and members of the GBI Gang Unit. Bannister was taken into custody without incident," the Cobb Sheriff's Office said.
