How did Adreian Payne die at age 31? We knew that the former Hawks, Wolves and Magic player, also passed through Asvel, had been shot and killed in Florida last weekend. According to the first elements of the police investigation, it was after being called as a mediator in a marital dispute.
With his girlfriend, the basketball player went to the home of Lawrence Dority, the man who finally shot him, at the request of the latter’s companion, Tatiana Mesa. She had already called Adreian Payne’s partner several times in the past, in order to intervene following arguments in her relationship, to prevent it from degenerating into ” physical violence “. Lawrence Dority was on his side accompanied by his father.
The versions then diverge. Lawrence Dority, who is 1m72, explains that he felt threatened by Adreian Payne and his 2m08. He assures that the latter threatened him, that he thought he was going to look for a weapon and that is why he went home to take his gun and shoot the basketball player, a single shot. fire that will be fatal.
The accused pleads not guilty
The other witnesses assure on the contrary that Adreian Payne did not have a threatening attitude and no weapon was found in his vehicle. Additionally, Lawrence Dority lied when he called 911, claiming to have shot “a man who tried to get into my house, walked around my neighborhood and tried to shoot me”.
Florida is indeed a state with a “stand-your-ground law” (“Defend your territory”) which allows a person to use a firearm to defend his house or his vehicle, if he feels threatened.
Nonetheless, officers at the scene on Monday determined that Adreian Payne posed no immediate threat to Lawrence Dority, so they arrested him for first-degree murder after questioning him at the precinct. The 29-year-old defendant has pleaded not guilty.
