The Associated Press Picture: District Attorney Ben David promises a full investigation into the fatal shooting of a video game theft suspect by police.
A sheriff's deputy was charged with second-degree murder Monday in the shooting of an unarmed teen accused of stealing two Sony PlayStation 3 video game consoles, authorities said.
Cpl. Christopher Long, 34, opened fire during a police raid at Peyton Strickland's home after he mistook as gunfire the sound from the officers' use of a battering ram to knock down the door, District Attorney Ben David said in court.
Strickland, an 18-year-old college student, was struck in the head and near his right shoulder, an autopsy found.
Defense attorney Michael McGuinness said that Long made a split-second decision and that the shooting was 'within the course and scope of his official duties.'
A 12-year veteran of the sheriff's office, Long was fired last week after the Dec. 1 shooting. An investigation cleared two other deputies of any wrongdoing, David said.
'This indictment is an important first step in holding accountable everyone responsible for Peyton's death _ but this is only a first step,' his parents, Don and Kathy Strickland, said in a written statement. 'None of these actions can bring Peyton back to us, but perhaps they can save someone else's child.'
Peyton Strickland and two friends, Braden Riley and Ryan Mills, were accused of beating a student at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and robbing him of two PlayStations, each costing more than $600. Riley and Mills have pleaded not guilty.
The deputies and university police served the search warrant.
'When the ram hit the door, he thought it was gunfire,' David said, referring to Long. 'His belief that there was gunfire coming from the inside out was not shared by others.'
Strickland, a Cape Fear Community College student, didn't have a weapon, David said. One of Strickland's roommates said he may have been holding a video game controller when he went to the door.
According to search warrants, authorities believed they would be at high risk when entering the home because of pictures on the Internet that showed Mills posing with guns, and UNC Wilmington police said they had information that Mills was known to carry a weapon. His friends said the photos were a prank.
New Hanover County Sheriff Sid Causey said that Long had been a good officer and that he has received death threats.
'It's a tough case. A family has lost its son. I would ask you to keep them in your prayers, also law enforcement,' Causey said. 'We're human beings and we make mistakes.'
Long cooperated with the investigation and volunteered to testify before the grand jury but wasn't allowed, McGuinness said.
Superior Court Judge Ernest Fullwood reduced Long's secured bond from $250,000 to $50,000.
