OK, since I live here in Wilmington, Ill keep posting new articles. Now they're saying that a SWAT like team was at the house, interesting....
3 deputies on leave after shooting
Investigation continuing in death of suspect described by family as 'kind and gentle'
By Veronica Gonzalez
Three members of an elite unit of the New Hanover County Sheriff's Department are on paid leave after the fatal shooting of an 18-year-old suspected of stealing two PlayStation 3 video game systems, Sheriff Sid Causey said Sunday.
Whenever law enforcement officers fire their service weapons, it is standard procedure for them to be put on paid leave.
The heavily armed emergency response team - similar to a SWAT unit - was called in Friday to help the UNCW police serve warrants for the arrest of Peyton Brooks Strickland, who was facing charges of armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon and breaking and entering.
Causey did not release the names of the deputies. He acknowledged that the information should be public record but said he was concerned for the deputies' safety.
Strickland's roommate, Mike Rhoton, said Saturday that the two were home alone at 533 Long Leaf Acres Drive playing video games when deputies opened fire on Strickland, who Rhoton said was unarmed, and his German shepherd Blaze, who was also killed.
But Causey indicated that officers and deputies had a reason to fear for their lives. "If this boy would've come to the door - opened the door - we probably wouldn't be talking," he said.
The emergency response team typically is called to assist in incidents ranging from hostage situations to serving warrants when officers believe they're going into dangerous situations, Causey said.
The sheriff would not say what specifically prompted the need for the emergency response team to arrest Strickland or what transpired at Strickland's home Friday night because the State Bureau of Investigation is examining the incident.
"The plan was to get in the house, secure people and let UNCW (police) search," he said.
In Causey's four years as sheriff, he said, he couldn't recall another time when the UNCW police requested the emergency response team. But this case warranted it, he said.
Deputies were assisting the UNCW police to arrest Strickland on the charges and search the house he rented with three other roommates. They also arrested Ryan David Mills, a 20-year-old UNCW student, on the same charges, according to the university. Mills' address is listed at 4500 Crawdad Court, according to UNCW.
Mills was released from New Hanover County jail after posting a $30,000 secured bond Saturday morning.
A spokeswoman for the Strickland family, Joyce Fitzpatrick, said Sunday that Mills and Strickland were friends.
'Kind and gentle boy'
In a statement released Sunday, Strickland's parents, Kathy and Don Strickland, said their son "was a kind and gentle boy."
Strickland had no criminal record, but he was scheduled for a court hearing in January on a pending assault charge in Wilmington, said Donald Beskind, the law partner of Strickland's father and a friend. Beskind did not give details on the assault, but on Sunday said it was "the kind of thing that happens between two kids."
Next in investigation
When law enforcement officers or deputies fire their service weapon - regardless of whether it's a fatal shooting - they are immediately placed on paid leave.
The clothing, gear and weapons they had at the time of the shooting, along with items at the scene, are taken as evidence until an investigation is completed, Causey said. In this case, even the front door was taken as evidence.
The deputies involved in Friday's fatal shooting have been members of the sheriff's office for several years, the sheriff said.
Causey said that his office will conduct its own investigation into Friday's shooting and that he would release any findings as soon as the SBI concluded its part. "We're not going to sit on it for months," he said.
'High-risk entries'
The emergency response team is made up of six deputies who perform those duties full-time.
"A lot of people don't want to work for an (emergency response team)," Causey said. "It's dangerous. They get killed."
In addition, about 20 other deputies in the roughly 400-member department receive special training to serve on the team, he said.
When the team is called to an incident, as was the case on Friday night, they wear reinforced bullet-proof vests, Kevlar helmets and special goggles. They are armed with a .45-caliber service weapons and rifles, Causey said.
"Normally, the entrance team has a ballistics shield. It's Kevlar and it's maybe 5-foot high, bulletproof," Causey said, adding the shield includes a light to blind people. "They're led by Lt. Doug Price, who is an outstanding law enforcement officer and an outstanding person," he said.
The unit has existed since the 1970s, and many of the members have served in the military.
"All their entries are high-risk entries," Causey said, adding the tactical team knows the history of the people they're facing and whether they have weapons.
ers and give their severance to that kid's family.
