ALBANY, Ga. — Four people, including three teenagers, have been arrested and charged with murder following the Halloween night shooting death of 15-year-old Austin Payne in Albany, Georgia.
The Albany Police Department announced the arrests Wednesday, November 4, following an investigation into the shooting, which occurred October 31 in Dougherty County. Payne was discovered dead inside an apparently abandoned apartment on Cameo Lane the following morning after his mother used phone tracking to locate him.
According to an Albany Police Department incident report, Payne’s mother began searching for her son on Sunday, November 1, after he failed to return home the previous night. Using his phone’s location, she traced him to an apartment at 810 Cameo Lane. When she entered the residence, she found her son unresponsive on the floor.
Officers responded to the location at approximately 9:51 a.m. Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler pronounced Payne dead at the scene around 10:30 a.m.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage, witness statements and phone records to reconstruct the events leading up to Payne’s death. According to the police report, surveillance footage showed six individuals walking toward the apartment around 7:35 p.m. on October 31.
Approximately 23 minutes later, surveillance footage captured an individual jumping from an apartment window. At approximately 8:03 p.m., phone records indicated Payne called his mother and told her he had been shot and needed help.
His mother told investigators she initially believed he was joking because of previous remarks, but became concerned when she was unable to reach him later that evening.
Witnesses told investigators that a group of armed individuals approached Payne and others as they walked along a path between Sands Drive and Cameo Lane. According to those accounts, the individuals demanded their belongings before shots were fired.
Witnesses also suggested the shooting may have involved an attempted robbery related to a handgun Payne had reportedly displayed on social media. Authorities have not publicly confirmed that account as the motive. Investigators recovered seven 9mm shell casings while examining the area.
Following interviews and additional investigative work, Albany police identified four individuals allegedly connected to Payne’s death.
Those arrested and charged with murder are:
- Jansquincey Donaldson, 15
- Omari Marion, 15
- Adarious Wallace, 16
- Detravion Parker, 22
All four were taken into custody and transported to the Dougherty County Jail.
The charges are allegations, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Authorities have not released additional details explaining the specific roles each defendant is accused of playing in the shooting.
The Albany Police Department continues to investigate and is asking anyone with information about the case to contact investigators at 229-431-2100.
The death of the 15-year-old and the arrests of three other teenagers have drawn attention to a case involving several young people and a family now grieving the loss of a child.
Hazlehurst Now will continue to monitor the investigation for significant developments.
Sources: Albany Police Department information and incident report as reported by WALB; CBS News Atlanta, November 5, 2026.
