On the evening of March 24, 2011, a dispute between neighbors in Temple Hills, Maryland, escalated into a fatal encounter. Gregory Lucious Lawton Jr., a 31-year-old man, was found suffering from gunshot wounds in the entrance of a building on the 4400 block of 23rd Parkway, where he resided. Patrol officers responded to a report of a shooting at approximately 9:35 p.m. and discovered Lawton, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
The preliminary investigation by the Prince George's County Police Department indicated that the shooting stemmed from a dispute with a neighbor. This neighbor was identified as 29-year-old James Allen Payne. According to police, the altercation culminated with Payne producing a handgun and shooting Lawton. Lawton, known to friends as 'Lil G,' was a father of three and worked as a security guard.
His family described him as a good Samaritan who was actively working to improve the safety of his community.
Following the incident, the Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit obtained an arrest warrant for James Allen Payne, charging him with first-degree murder. On March 25, 2011, the day after the shooting, Payne turned himself into the authorities. He was subsequently remanded to the Department of Corrections in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, on a no-bond status.
