Deputy Shoots and Kills Suspected PS3 Robber

December 4th, 2006, 01:29 Posted By: Elven6

Robbery suspect and his dog are gunned down in Wilmington, NC

The PlayStation 3 frenzy took a deadly turn this past Friday when a sheriff's deputy for New Hanover County (NC) shot and killed a man suspected of robbing a UNCW student of two of the consoles. The shooting and the circumstances surrounding it have left many in the area puzzled.

The story began on November 17: the US launch date of the highly anticipated PS3 console. On that day, UNCW student Justin Raines purchased two PS3 consoles from Wal-mart along with a few games. When Raines arrived back at his on-campus apartment, he was attacked with a blunt object by two men and his prized merchandise was stolen.

Officers reviewed surveillance camera footage from the Wal-Mart and investigated several leads given to them. After the invesigation, the decision was made to serve Peyton Strickland and Ryan David Mills with arrest warrants on charges of breaking and entering, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

When sheriff's deputies arrived at 533 Long Leaf Acres Drive to serve Strickland with an arrest warrant, Strickland was playing a round of Tiger Woods PGA Tour on his recently acquired PS3. The officers knocked on the door; Strickland walked to the door with controller in hand and opened it. "There was a bunch of yelling," said Mike Rhoton, a roommate of Strickland. "Four or five shots went off and they killed him. They pinned me down to the ground and told me not to move anything."

There were three guns found in Strickland’s room, but none were used in the incident. Even more puzzling is the fact that police officers also shot and killed Blaze, Strickland's German shepherd.

The District Attorney's Office along with the UNCW police department and Hanover Country Sherriff’s department are investigating the incident. "I am making this my top priority. 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," said New Hanover County District Attorney Ben David.

According to the StarNewsOnline, Strickland was the youngest of three children and his father is a high-profile lawyer in the Raleigh-Durham (RDU) area.

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=5186

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