A New Hanover County sheriff's deputy Friday shot and killed an 18-year-old man suspected in an armed robbery of two PlayStation 3 video systems, authorities said. A puddle of blood on the hardwood floor of his living room left a harsh reminder Saturday of what took place, and family and friends expressed outrage. The deputy shot Peyton Strickland about 8:45 p.m. Friday in the Long Leaf Acres house Strickland rented with three other young men, said his roommate, Mike Rhoton, who was home at the time. He said Strickland was unarmed.
UNCW police and sheriff's deputies were at the house on 533 Long Leaf Acres Drive to arrest Strickland and serve him a search warrant, according to the university. Strickland was one of two suspects in the armed robbery of a University of North Carolina Wilmington student that occurred Nov. 17. Investigators were reviewing the conduct of all officers and deputies involved in the incident, said New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David, who confirmed at least one sheriff's deputy was involved in the shooting.
"I am making this my top priority," David said Saturday. "No one's above the law. If there's any criminal conduct that can be established, I'm not going to hesitate to treat them as any other defendant." Neither he nor Sheriff Sid Causey would release any information on who was present at the time of the shooting or details about why or how it happened. The State Bureau of Investigation is assisting in the investigation, they said. "It puts a cloud over everybody," Causey said. "Nobody wants things to happen, but they do happen. When they do, we have to investigate ... and then do the approriate thing."
Search for answers
Saturday at the one-story, brown rental house, Strickland's friends and roommates stopped by to grieve the death of the tall, thin welder who friends say wanted to start his own business and was attending Cape Fear Community College. They also searched for answers.
"I don't understand why shots were fired," Rhoton said. "I've just been trying to figure out why they shot him." What further shocked Strickland's friends and family was that a deputy also shot and killed Strickland's German shepherd named Blaze. The dog's blood stained the front porch, and shards of glass from the front-door windows littered the area.
A light blue sheet hung in the door frame after investigators took the door away.
The robbery
UNCW Police planned to arrest Strickland on charges of armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and breaking and entering. On Friday, officers arrested another suspect, UNCW student Ryan David Mills, on the same charges. The 20-year-old lives at 4500 Crawdad Court.
Two weeks after the robbery and after reviewing surveillance video from Wal-Mart, law enforcement officers got a break in the case that started Nov. 17. That's the Friday when UNCW student Justin Raines was among the first at the Market Street Wal-Mart to buy two coveted PlayStation 3 consoles, released that day. When Raines came home to the on-campus Seahawk Village apartments after midnight with the games he bought for $641 apiece, two white men in a gold Pontiac pulled up to Raines' car, struck him with a six-inch blunt object and stole his purchases, leaving him with bumps and bruises, UNCW police said.
Because of safety concerns, UNCW Police Chief David Donaldson requested the help of sheriff's deputies to serve the warrants on Strickland, according to a university news release.
Three unloaded guns were in the house - a hunting rifle and two shotguns - which were in Strickland's room, Rhoton said. And when Strickland answered the door, he may have been holding a PlayStation controller in his hand, he said.
Across the country, the release of the PlayStation 3 has sparked robberies, stampedes and other violent incidents.
Before the shooting
Neighbors said they long feared that something bad would happen at 533 Long Leaf Acres Drive - a home historically known for loud parties and noise. "We even have this address on our refrigerator because we know where the noise is coming from," said Joan Kester, adding that the complaints in the past have revolved around loud music and kids on the roof yelling.
On Friday night, Rhoton said he and Strickland played a PlayStation video game while taking a break from cleaning the house they had moved into in August. Their other two roommates weren't home. They were playing Tiger Woods PGA Tour when they heard a knock on the door. Strickland, who sat on a couch closest to the front door, got up to answer, Rhoton said. As Strickland approached the door, law enforcement officials knocked it down and "there was a bunch of yelling," he said.
"Four or five shots went off and they killed him," he said. "They pinned me down to the ground and told me not to move anything."
Within seconds, Strickland lay on the floor moaning while officers held a gun to Rhoton's head as he lay on the floor.
He said they mentioned something about a search warrant, but they did not provide a copy.
"They never said why they were here, even when I left last night," said Rhoton, who attended Jordan High School with Strickland in Durham.
David assured that the District Attorney's Office would conduct a thorough investigation. "There's nothing more important than assuring the community that officers are there to serve and protect," David said.
Welding wonders
Strickland's green, 1964 boat he rebuilt sat in the front lawn Saturday - sparking memories for his roommates and friends about how he had sunk a bunch of money into it to rebuild it.
Strickland was the youngest of three children and the only son of a well-known Raleigh-Durham-area lawyer Don Strickland.
Strickland's handiwork extended to almost anything fast - and on wheels. He loved working with metal, even making a chopper from scratch, said his friend Nick Kane. "Not long before this ... happened, we were planning out an exhaust system for one of my four-wheelin' trucks," Rhoton said.
Strickland was like a brother to many of his friends, said friend Mike Bernard. "He was the best kid, talented, gifted, determined," he said.
veronica.gonzalez@starnewsonline.com
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