Police Affidavit Emerges in Death of Former MSU Basketball Player Adreian Payne

Content warning: This story contains graphic language of a violent nature.

New details regarding the death of former Michigan State basketball player Adreian Payne have emerged in an Orange County, Fla., police affidavit. It describes the incident leading up to the fatal encounter that left the 31-year-old dead.

Police responded to a shooting Monday morning in an Orlando neighborhood. There, they discovered an injured Payne, who was transported to AdventHealth Hospital East and later died of his injuries. The sheriff’s department said the suspect, Lawrence Dority, was transported from the scene to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office headquarters. He was interviewed and subsequently charged with first-degree murder. 

According to the arrest warrant, Payne and Payne’s girlfriend were asked to go to the suspect’s house by Dority’s girlfriend. Payne’s girlfriend told police that she had previously visited to Dority’s house to defuse domestic disputes between Dority and his girlfriend. Payne and his girlfriend arrived separately to Dority’s house, per the affidavit. 

Dority’s father told police he was dropping Dority and Dority’s son back at the residence when he noticed an unknown vehicle parked near Dority’s home. Dority later told police he recognized the car as Payne’s. 

Witnesses to the incident said they saw Payne and Dority engage in a conversation outside of Payne’s car. Both Dority’s father and Payne’s girlfriend were unable to hear the conversation between the two. Per the affidavit, Dority returned to his residence. 

Payne’s girlfriend then told police that when he emerged from his home, it looked like he was carrying something underneath his shirt that she believed was a firearm. Surveillance footage recovered by police captured audio and video footage from a portion of the incident, and police said one could hear a female voice saying, “Do not pull your gun out.” A single gunshot was then heard in the footage. 

The affidavit says that police reviewed the 911 call Dority made after the shooting. He told the operator, “This man tried coming to my house, he cut around my block, and tried shooting me,” per the report. He also said “he act like he got a gun, and I shot him,” and “he reached for his gun, I ran inside my house, and I shot him.” 

In an interview with police, Dority said he viewed Payne’s presence as a threat. Dority noted that their size difference made him feel threatened. Payne is 6'10" while Dority is 5'8". 

During their exchange, Dority said Payne kept making movements with his right hand to the right side of his waistband where Dority said he observed the “shape of a gun.” Dority said that Payne said, “I’ll smoke you, bra,” and Dority alleges that made him believe he had a firearm. Dority told police he was afraid of Payne and was protecting his home. 

Payne was not armed and no firearm was discovered in his car, per the affidavit. 

Dority entered a not guilty plea Tuesday morning and waived his arraignment, according to court documents. 

With the Spartans, Payne was a three-year starter and was named to the All–Big Ten team as a senior in 2013–14. He was taken at No. 15 in the ’14 NBA draft by the Hawks. He spent his four-year NBA career with Atlanta, the Timberwolves and the Magic. 

Orlando released Payne in January 2018 after an ESPN report surfaced that he was accused of sexual assault during his freshman year at Michigan State. He did not face charges, as Stuart Dunnings III, the then Ingham County, Mich., prosecutor, said that no crime was committed and cited insufficient evidence.

Payne continued his career overseas.