WILMINGTON - It took 65 minutes for grand jurors to decide they needed a night's rest to answer whether a former deputy should be tried as a criminal for shooting to death an unarmed teenager.

Christopher Long, a former New Hanover County sheriff's deputy, could face a manslaughter charge for shooting to death Durham native Peyton Strickland in December. Twelve of the 18 grand jurors must vote to indict him. Long shot Strickland through a closed door when his SWAT unit came to arrest him on robbery and assault charges.

Monday, a judge's ruling allowed Long to tell the jurors what happened that night. In another rare move Tuesday, Strickland's father, Don Strickland, addressed the grand jury in the secrecy of a New Hanover County conference room. Testimony before grand juries is not open to the public and is typically limited to officers who investigated the incident.

The two men, Long and Don Strickland, sat less than 10 feet apart in a courtroom, waiting for the grand jury to weigh in on a split-second decision that haunts them both.

Long clutched his wife's hand and bowed to pray with their pastor.

Strickland gave the man who killed his only son a long look before clenching his jaw and facing forward.

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