Correction: The original article said the New Hanover County Police Department was involved with the case however, it was the New Hanover County Sheriff’s office.

The family of Peyton Strickland has settled in a wrongful death lawsuit against UNC Wilmington. A former New Hanover County sheriff’s deputy had fatally shot Strickland, an 18-year-old Cape Fear Community College student, while helping UNCW campus police serve a warrant for his arrest at his home. Strickland and his roommate, a UNCW student, were suspects of an on-campus assault and robbery at the time. The UNCW campus police requested help from the New Hanover County Sheriff’s office to help reduce the risk of taking him down.

But the person really at risk was the unarmed freshman answering the door.

The warrant came from a UNCW campus police investigation. Strickland and two friends, Ryan Mills and Braden Riley, were accused of beating UNCW student Justin Raines and stealing two PlayStation 3 consoles from his car in a parking lot between Seahawk Village and the University Suites December 1, 2006.

The risk came from suspicion that Strickland would be dangerous to apprehend. During the investigation, UNCW police found Facebook photos of Strickland’s friends posing with a shotgun. Not having off-campus jurisdiction, UNCW police asked for help to search Strickland’s home on 533 Long Leaf Acres Dr. The New Hanover County Emergency Response Team was called in to assist.

The bullets came from the gun of a Wilmington sheriff’s deputy Christopher Long, who was hired in 1996 and had served 10 years with the New Hanover County Sheriff’s office at the time. The ERT knocked on the door twice and received no response, which was interpreted to mean the door was not going to be opened. Battering ram in hand, one of the officers hit the door with a loud thud. Unable to distinguish the thud from a gunshot, former sheriff corporal, Christopher Long, fired several shots at the door. Strickland was shot twice, one bullet hitting close to his right shoulder and other hitting his head. The door was not locked, according to reporters at the scene.

Long was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Strickland, but the charge was dropped. The attorney general’s office then tried to indict him for voluntary manslaughter, but a grand jury decided against it in July of 2007, according to a report by the Star News.

The lawsuits came from Strickland’s family, filed against the New Hanover County Sheriff’s office and UNC Wilmington. The New Hanover County Sheriff’s office settled for a $2.45 million agreement in 2008. UNCW’s settlement took longer. The Strickland family alleged that the UNCW campus police acted negligently and provided false information to the New Hanover County Sheriff’s office, according to a report by WECT. UNCW filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in February of 2010, the report said, but the Court of Appeals ruled to allow a full hearing. The settlement, filed by the North Carolina Industrial Commission, said UNCW would award $150,000

to the Strickland estate. and establish a $100,000 fund to be used for the accreditation of the UNCW Police Department, to prevent similar incidents from occurring. Both lawsuits settled out of court, so no one is officially being held accountable for Strickland’s death.

The victim came from Durham, North Carolina. Strickland’s family is putting the money towards a charity in their son’s name, The Peyton Brooks Strickland Foundation, which helps students in the Durham area as well as Cape Fear Community College students.