Man Who Killed Ex-NBA Player Adreian Payne Claimed It Was Self-Defense

Former NBA player and Michigan State Spartan Adreian Payne, 31, was killed on Monday after an altercation with his girlfriend's sister and her boyfriend.

He was fatally shot by the boyfriend, Lawrence Dority, who told authorities that the incident started as self-defense when Payne allegedly threatened to shoot him first.

Dority claimed that upon hearing the threat, he went back inside his home, grabbed his weapon and shot down Payne. His side of the story sounded fairly dubious, adding that Payne's stature was menacing to the point where he needed to retrieve his weapon out of protection.

The ex-NBA player and his girlfriend reportedly appeared at home to calm tensions between Dority and his girlfriend when the former started to get hostile.

Dority was arrested on Monday and charged with first-degree murder. He pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office confirmed that no weapons were found on Payne. They released a statement on the scene:

“The shooter, later identified as Lawrence Dority… 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.”

As reported by OutKick's Anthony Farris, former Spartans teammate Draymond Green started a fund in Payne's memory. Payne was also honored by former MSU coach Tom Izzo and all of basketball after the tragic killing.

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