‘Coward’ Scot Peterson, Parkland’s SRO, arrested, charged and fired from Broward Sheriff’s Office
Yesterday, the School Resource Officer on duty 15 months ago who was responsible for the safety of the students at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was arrested and charged as being culpable in the shooting deaths of 17 students and staff members. The now infamous mass shooting went down on February 14, 2018.
While 19-year-old former student Nikolas Cruz ran amuck through the halls of Stoneman Douglas High shooting indiscriminately at those inside with his AR-15, Scot Peterson, the Broward Sheriff’s deputy assigned to the school, stood outside of the building behind a stone column while Cruz was wielding his firearm inside. State officials said that Peterson didn’t go inside when needed and that he failed to act.
Surveillance footage shows Peterson never confronted the 19-year-old gunman during the February 2018 shooting. Instead, a commission report says he hid for about 48 minutes after the first shots. Peterson could be heard radioing for backup during the rampage. ~ per CBS News
As a school resource officer trained to engage an active shooter immediately, Peterson “was responsible for the welfare and safety” of the students and “failed to make a reasonable effort” to protect them, according to an arrest warrant. ~ per The Miami Herald
Following his arrest, Sheriff Gregory Tony of the Broward Sheriff’s Office announced the immediate termination of Scot Peterson. Following the office’s internal investigation, Peterson, along with another deputy on the scene, Sergeant Brian Miller, was also fired. Tony said that “the deputy and sergeant were found to have neglected their duties at MSD High School. They have been terminated and will no longer be privileged to serve as law enforcement deputies for the Broward Sheriff’s Office.”
It was only about a week after the shootings that officials began questioning Peterson’s actions, or inactions, on the day of the shootings after investigators “saw surveillance footage showing the school’s cop taking cover outside the 1200 building for some 10 minutes before other officers made entry, after Cruz had already fled.” Peterson has been under fire for not going into the building ever since.
School shooter had AR-15, smoke bombs, multiple magazines and was wearing a gas mask
The Herald also shared the following excerpts from Peterson’s lengthy arrest warrant:
- Peterson, a longtime schools resource officer, attended “many hours” of training on active shooters, including a four-hour session in April 2016. “Deputy Peterson knowingly and willing failed to act pursuant to his law enforcement training and sworn duties,” the warrant said.
- As Peterson took cover between two adjacent buildings, he “was aware” that Cruz was inside the building killing people. Agents interviewed numerous witnesses who said it was clear the gunfire was coming from inside. One Coral Springs officer told agents Peterson told him “the shooter is on the second or third floor” of the 1200 building.
- Peterson claimed to police that he only heard two or three shots upon arriving at the 1200 building. That was a lie, agents determined after an analysis of witnesses testimony, radio transmissions and body and surveillance videos.
The families of those that died that fateful day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High applaud Peterson’s arrest. Some still-grieving parents called the former deputy a coward for his failure to act. CBS News reported:
“It’s absolutely a nightmare,” said Max Schachter, who lost his son Alex. “And this is the only thing we have wanted, the only thing we have been fighting for.”
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter, Jaime, died, tweeted: “…rot in hell… You could have saved some of the 17” following Peterson’s arrest.
The 11 criminal charges levied against Peterson include felony child neglect. CNN reported that six of his child neglect charges are second-degree felonies. Just one of those guilty convictions is good for 15 years behind bars. If found guilty on all six child neglect charges, Peterson is looking at 90 years behind bars.
Because one victim was not severely injured, a seventh neglect charge is a third-degree felony (up to five years).
The three charges of culpable negligence are second-degree misdemeanors, while the perjury charge is a first-degree misdemeanor.
Peterson is currently incarcerated inside the Broward County Jail.
For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.
~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
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- Body of 5-year-old Elizabeth Shelley found, uncle charged with her murder
