Albany Police Arrest Four Suspects in Fatal Shooting of 15-Year-Old Austin Payne
Following Halloween night, a Georgia mother discovered her 15-year-old son shot and killed inside an empty house, leading to murder charges for an adult and three teenagers charged with murder in Georgia after.
The Albany Police Department announced the arrests of 22-year-old Detravion Parke, along with two 15-year-olds—Jansquincey Donaldson and Omari Marion—and 16-year-old Adarious Wallace in connection with the death of Austin Payne. All four suspects face murder charges and were transported to the Dougherty County Jail.
Officers responded to the 800 block of Cameo Lane in Albany on Nov. 1, where they discovered Payne dead inside an abandoned home. WALB reported that his mother tracked his phone to find him after he did not come home on Halloween. Albany Police Chief Michael Persley revealed during a Nov. 2 news conference that Payne managed to call his mother after being shot.
“He did make a call to his mother that he had been shot.”
Persley said.
Investigators used surveillance footage, cellphone records, and witness statements to reconstruct the events leading up to Payne’s death. According to witness statements provided to authorities, armed suspects confronted a group walking alongside Payne, demanded personal property, and then began shooting. WALB reported that detectives believe Payne could have been singled out in a robbery attempt tied to a pistol he had recently shown off online.
Payne’s family organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses. A relative noted that he would have turned 16 on Nov. 12. He is survived by his mother and a 17-year-old sister.
The Albany Police Department continues to investigate the case and asks anyone with additional information to contact investigators at 229-431-2100.
