Stricklands settle after death of son

They plan $2.45 million for charity

The New Hanover County Sheriff's Department is giving three things to a Durham family whose teenage son was shot in a botched SWAT team raid: a promise to review the team's practices, a $2.45 million check to start a charity, and an apology. The Wednesday agreement was the beginning of the quest to bring meaning to the killing of Peyton Strickland.

On Dec. 1, 2006, a county deputy shot Strickland with an automatic submachine gun as officers stormed his house in search of a stolen PlayStation 3 video machine. Then-deputy Christopher Long fired through a closed door after mistaking the sound of a battering ram for gunshots.

Sheriff Sid Causey offered his "profound" remorse to the Stricklands on a video released Wednesday afternoon. He said that Strickland was not armed and that one of his deputies "made a mistake as to the existence of a deadly threat."

"It is my prayer that our Lord's grace, peace and mercy will be forever with those touched by this death."

UNC-Wilmington police had suspected Strickland after a university student was assaulted and robbed of the video game weeks before the raid. They called in the sheriff's SWAT team after an online photo of another suspect holding a gun made them worry that the suspects were dangerous.

The raid came together in a single afternoon. Members of the sheriff's SWAT team had already worked a full day when they got the call from UNC-Wilmington police. That night, 16 armed officers from the SWAT team and campus police came to Strickland's rental home in a residential neighborhood.

Seven SWAT members, including Long, crowded Strickland's front stoop, waiting to rush inside. After one deputy knocked, Strickland put down his video remote and headed to answer the door.

When Strickland was a few feet shy of the door, Long fired through it.

Twice, Strickland's family found no satisfaction in criminal court. In December 2006 and again in July, grand juries decided not to indict Long.

This week, the family used the threat of a civil lawsuit to settle with New Hanover County and Long, who was fired shortly after the shooting. New Hanover County's insurer agreed to the settlement before any civil claim was filed, county spokesman Mark Boyer said. The county is on the hook for a $25,000 deductible; the insurer pays the rest.

Long, through his attorney, declined to comment. He is now shielded from further civil action.

'Peyton's legacy'

The settlement offered the Stricklands a bit of solace. In their son's name, they have set up a charitable foundation that will focus on need-based scholarships for students at Strickland's former schools: Cape Fear Community College and the Hill Center in Durham.

In a prepared statement, Don and Kathy Strickland said: "Peyton is gone. Nothing can bring him back. We are, however, thankful for the New Hanover County Sheriff Department's efforts to right its wrong and in doing so to help us ensure Peyton's legacy."

The Stricklands declined Wednesday to say whether they intended to seek civil damages from UNC-Wilmington.

Wednesday's settlement carried the assurance that New Hanover County's SWAT team could soon change the way it does business. Causey said on his recorded statement that he would bring in a nationally recognized consultant to review the department's policies and procedures for its SWAT team. He said he would make any needed changes.