Family, sheriff settle in teen's shooting

More than a year after a New Hanover County sheriff's deputy fatally shot Durham teen Peyton Strickland, the sheriff's office has reached a settlement with Strickland's family.

Under the agreement, the county's insurer agreed to pay the family $2.45 million, which will go toward a charitable foundation in Peyton Strickland's name.

In an apology to the Strickland family captured on video today, New Hanover County Sheriff Sid Causey said "First and foremost let me say that I am profoundly sorry for the death of Peyton Strickland. I cannot begin to imagine the immense sorrow the Strickland family must continue to feel but they will forever be in my thoughts and prayers."

The sheriff's department also promised to review the way its SWAT team operates. Causey has acknowledged that Strickland was unarmed and that his deputy was mistaken when he perceived a threat.

Strickland was fatally shot Dec. 1, 2006 as Causey's SWAT team stormed Strickland's rental home to search for a stolen video-game machine. Strickland, 18, shared with home with several of his buddies.

Police at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington had asked the Sheriff's SWAT team to assist in the raid after UNC-W student was robbed of a Playstation 3 video machine on campus. UNC-W police suspected Strickland and two of his friends in the robbery and assault.

Then-deputy Chris Long fired his automatic submachine gun through his front door of the home, striking Strickland. Long later told investigators that he mistook the hammering of a battering ram for gunshots being fired from inside the house.

The sheriff's SWAT team had been warned by UNC-W police that the young men had stockpiled an arsenal of guns in the home.

Police had been spooked by an on-line photo Ryan Mills, another suspect in the robbery. In the photo, Mills and two friends are posing with guns. Mills has said since that he and his buddies were playing dress-up.

Twice, prosecutors tried to bring criminal charges against Long. Twice, a grand jury refused.

Strickland's family ached over those failures to hold Long responsible for their son's death.

Strickland's family said they have accepted Causey's apology. They said in a statement that they believe their son's death could have been prevented had the SWAT team practiced sounder procedures.

"Peyton is gone. Nothing can bring him back," Strickland's parents Don and Kathy Strickland said in a prepared statement. "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 settlement was announced today; the family negotiated the agreement without filing a lawsuit.