Adreian Payne: Former NBA player shot dead in Florida

Police arrested and booked Lawrence Dority in connection with fatal shooting

Adreian Payne #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after he made a shot in the first half against the Duke Blue Devils during the Midwest Region Semifinal round of the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament (Getty Images)

Former NBA basketball player Adreian Payne has been shot dead in Florida, authorities have confirmed.

Authorities in Orlando say that the 31-year-old was the victim of a fatal shooting that took place in Orange county inthe early hours of Monday morning.

Officers were called to the incident at a property at Egret Shores Drive at around 1.30am, and Payne was rushed to a hospital suffering from gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead.

A suspect in the shooting, identified by police as 29-year-old Lawrence Dority, has been arrested.

Police say that Mr Dority remained at the scene of the shooting and was taken to Orange County Sheriff’s Office headquarters where he was interviewed by homicide detectives.

He has been arrested for first-degree murder and booked into the Orange County Jail.

Lawrence Dority, 29, arrested in connection with shooting (OCSO)

Before becoming a professional, Payne was a star college basketball player for Michigan State and was named to the All-Big Ten team.

He was chosen as the 15th pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks and played in the league for four years with Atlanta, Minnesota and the Orlando Magic, before playing abroad.

Payne was waived by the Magic in 2018 after ESPN revealed that he and former Michigan State teammate Keith Appling had been investigated for allegations of sexual assault while students in East Lansing,

Neither man was ever charged in the case, according to CBS Sports.