Orange County Sheriff’s Office Releases Statement on Adreian Payne’s Death

Payne was shot and killed early Monday morning in Orange County, Fla.

Former Michigan State basketball player Adreian Payne was shot and killed early Monday morning in Orange County, Fla. He was 31.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Office released the following statement addressing the ongoing investigation.

“On May 9, 2022 at 1:37 a.m., Orange County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 2500 block of Egret Shores Drive regarding a shooting. A male in his 30s who had been shot, later identified as Adreian Payne (DOB: 2/19/1991), was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“The shooter, later identified as Lawrence Dority, (DOB: 2/17/1993) stayed at the scene and was transported to OSCO headquarters where he was interviewed by homicide detectives. Dority has been arrested on a warrant for First Degree Murder and transported to the Orange County Jail.”

Payne starred at Michigan State as a three-year starter in the early 2010s, when he emerged as one of the Big Ten’s best post players. Payne’s best season came as a senior in 2013–14 when he averaged 16.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on 50.3% from the field. He was named second-team All–Big Ten as a senior.

Payne played in the NBA for four seasons before settling into a career overseas. He played for Juventus Utena of the Lithuanian Basketball League last season, where he averaged 8.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.