Three teenagers and a 22-year-old man are facing murder charges in Georgia after a mother located her 15-year-old son fatally shot inside an abandoned home the day after Halloween.
The Albany Police Department identified the adult suspect as 22-year-old Detravion Parke. Police also arrested two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old in connection with the death of Austin Payne, 15.
All four suspects were charged with murder and taken to the Dougherty County Jail, authorities said.
Officers were called to the 800 block of Cameo Lane in Albany on Nov. 1, where they found Payne dead inside the vacant residence.
Payne’s mother reportedly tracked his cellphone location after he did not come home following Halloween celebrations, according to WALB.
Albany Police Chief Michael Persley said at a Nov. 2 news conference that Payne had contacted his mother after he was shot.
“He did make a call to his mother that he had been shot,” Persley said.
Investigators examined surveillance video, cellphone data and witness accounts as they worked to piece together the circumstances surrounding the shooting, WALB reported.
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Witnesses told police that armed suspects confronted a group walking with Payne, demanded their possessions and then opened fire, according to the news outlet.
Payne may have been singled out during an alleged robbery attempt involving a handgun he had recently shown on social media, WALB reported.
In the wake of his death, Payne’s family has created a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his funeral and related expenses.
A family member said Payne was due to turn 16 on Nov. 12.
“Our family is trying to process this heartbreaking loss,” the relative wrote.
The fundraiser said Payne is survived by his mother and his 17-year-old sister.
Anyone with information about the deadly shooting is urged to contact the Albany Police Department’s investigators at 229-431-2100.
