One year after Tormenta soccer player killed, hit-and-run case still cold

STATESBORO, GA. (WTOC) - Saturday marked a year since Tormenta FC soccer player Carter Payne died.

Around 1 a.m. on July 9, 2022, Carter Payne was riding an electric scooter down Fair Road in Statesboro when he was hit by a car. His friend, Nick Akoto, said the car that hit Payne drove away after the accident.

“Calling out his name and he’s not responding to me was very tough,” Akoto said.

WTOC Investigates requested and received two 911 calls from that night. Both recalling Payne being unconscious and the driver nowhere to be found.

“I froze for a minute,” Akoto said. “I wasn’t too aware of the situation, and then I kind of got back to my senses realizing it was worse than I imagined”.

Payne was taken to the hospital where he later died in the ICU.

Since then, Georgia State Patrol’s Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team has been on the case. The team gave security camera footage from the night of the accident to WTOC Investigates.

“We tried to get an in-depth observation of the video,” explained Cpl. Matthew Nelson, “unfortunately, that was unsuccessful because of the roadway out here being so dark”.

Investigators say all they know is that the car was small and silver.

If you have any information on this case, you are asked to call GSP at 706-624-1484. You can also call your local police department.

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