WILMINGTON, N.C. — (Dec. 12) A New Hanover County grand jury said it never meant to indict a sheriff's deputy under investigation for shooting and killing a Durham teenager on Dec. 1.
A day earlier, Cpl Christopher Long was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Peyton Brooks Strickland, 18.
Nine heavily armed deputies accompanied University of North Carolina at Wilmington police to Strickland's Wilmington home to serve arrest and search warrants in connection with an assault and theft of two PlayStation 3 video game consoles.
Long, who was later fired, told investigators he mistook the sound of a battering ram officers were using to break open the front door to the house as gunfire.
Strickland, who was unarmed, died of a gunshot wound to the head. Two other suspects were arrested.
New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David said he plans to take the case back to a new grand jury
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