20-year-old former football star is gunned down at Halloween party, Oklahoma cops say
A 20-year-old man was shot and killed at a Halloween party, according to Oklahoma police and news reports.
The shooting reportedly happened Saturday, Oct. 28, outside a home in El Reno, about 25 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.
A 911 caller said Justin Peyton Davidson “got into a bad conversation” with the accused 21-year-old shooter at the Halloween party, according to KWTV.
Davidson was shot three times in the head, his father, Jason Davidson, told KFOR.
He was taken to a hospital, where he died later that day, El Reno Assistant Police Chief Kirk Dickerson said in an interview with KOKH.
“At 7:57 p.m., Peyton’s heart beat for the last time and took a piece of mine with him,” Jason Davidson said in a GoFundMe. “I will forever be grateful for loving him while he was here, and loving him now that he’s gone.”
Justin Peyton Davidson, originally from Quitman, Mississippi, was reportedly a standout for the Quitman High School football team, where he was coached by his dad.
He went on to play as an offensive lineman for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
His girlfriend, Camrynn Barker, told KFOR she witnessed the shooting and was trying to intervene.
“The next thing I know he was collapsing in my arms and on the ground,” she said. “I watched my best friend leave me forever.”
The accused shooter was arrested, but he has not been formally charged, KOCO reported. He faces charges of “shooting with intent to kill, assault & battery with a deadly weapon and murder,” police told KOKH.
The GoFundMe says Justin Peyton Davidson was “a friend who meant so much to so many people.”
“A friend who would go out of his way to do anything for those who knew and loved him,” it said. “A friend who had big dreams but was working hard trying to find his path to the open door.”
This story was originally published October 31, 2023 at 6:19 AM with the headline "20-year-old former football star is gunned down at Halloween party, Oklahoma cops say."