The following information comes from Bernadette Payne who says : “Although my investigation unlocks the door to Justice, it is the media who has the power to open that door…”
My seventeen-year-old bi-racial son, Gabriel Issac Payne, died in a house fire in Mount Holly, NC on April 21st, 2021.
Two other males were in the house with my son when the fire broke out. Both individuals made it out of the house without injuries. One of these individuals called 911 at 2am, informing the dispatcher that the house was on fire and his “friend” was passed out in the living room and could be located through the front door to the right. The fire dept and police arrived around 2:04 am. At the time of fire/police arrival, the fire was located only in the rear of the house at the back porch and back yard. By 2:12am, the entire front of the house was engulfed in flames. At 2:22am, Gabe’s remains were located exactly where the 911 caller stated Gabe to be. Gabe’s body was found kneeling upright on the living room couch, three feet from the front door and a few inches from the front porch window.
When I arrived at the scene at 2:40am, I only knew a fire had broken out and quickly learned my son died in this fire, but something was off about the story. I was trying to understand how these two individuals could make it out of this 840 square foot house but not my son. Gabe had ADHD and always moved fast. This small mill house only had one floor, and every room had two large windows. Gabe would’ve hopped out any one of these windows with ease especially with them being only three feet off the ground. More peculiar though, was the statement made by the two individuals. They claimed they heard Gabe “literally” running right behind them as they exited the front door.
At 9am, my son’s body was finally removed from the house. After I identified his charred remains, a group of bystanders approached me. Knowing I was new to the town, the bystanders filled me in that this house is well known for criminal activity, drugs and gangs. They warned me, my son’s death was likely no accident and urged me to insist upon a full investigation. For the next week, people from the community flooded my home. They informed me of many shocking details pertaining to the house and how Gangster Disciple & Folk Nation gang members had been threatening to kill my son for months. Furthermore, the police detectives, explained to me they had been conducting a Task Force Operation on this house. As I was trying to make sense of everything, weeks turned into months. The community continued to give me information of what really happened.
But it would be three years of investigating before I would fully unravel the horrors of what my son endured upon his death. It would be three years before I would fully understand just how hard Gabe fought to stay alive. The facts surrounding Gabe’s death are shocking to say the least and would be unbelievable if it weren’t for the evidence I have obtained. We are talking, robbery, assault, kidnapping, possible drugging, pre-planned arson and the preplanning of murder by a notorious gang found on the FBI watch list. Just one problem, the gang who fully intended to kill Gabe, failed to kill him but mistook him for dead. What happened next should bring a cry of outrage across the country and has stirred a raging fire within me that only Justice can ever put out.
The news media was told by police that the house was fully engulfed when the fire department arrived but this is false. I have the fire report, statements from firemen and much more to show the house was on fire in the rear of the structure only.
Featured Photo by Robert Harkness on Unsplash.