A minor hit-and-run on a Clayton County road in May 2019 ended with the death of 62-year-old Kenneth Herring, a Black man. A 21-year-old witness, Hannah Payne, pursued Herring’s vehicle after the initial collision and called 911. Despite the dispatcher’s instruction not to engage, Payne continued the pursuit, caught up to Herring, and cut off his truck. Witnesses say Payne acted aggressively, yelled at Herring, and tried to pull him from his vehicle. An altercation followed and Herring, who appeared disoriented and may have been having a medical episode during the initial crash, was shot in the abdomen and later died.

Payne was arrested and charged in Herring’s death. Her defense claimed she shot in self-defense during a struggle after Herring attacked her; prosecutors said Payne was the aggressor and had effectively taken on the role of law enforcement, citing the 911 call and witness testimony. In December 2023 a Clayton County jury convicted Payne of multiple counts, including malice murder and felony murder, and she received a life sentence with the possibility of parole.

Did anyone in the area witness the pursuit or the moments immediately before the shooting?