Sheriff ‘Sickened’ Armed Deputy Did Nothing In Florida School Shooting, Cops Guard ‘Disgraced’ Deputy’s Home
Trump told reporters today that Scot Peterson did a “poor job” as he stood by despite being armed and trained to act, but did nothing during the Florida shooting. The school had armed deputies to guard the children, but the shooting went on for at least four minutes, with one of those armed guards hearing the shots and not going in.
According to Fox News, the school resource deputy, Scot Peterson, was seen on the school surveillance video, and he didn’t make a move toward the shooter. According to Officer Tim Burton, Peterson was seen “seeking cover behind a concrete column leading to the stairwell” with the sounds of gunfire nearby.
Nikolas Cruz was inside the school with an AR-15 rifle shooting at the students and teachers while Peterson remained outside. This shooting massacre took the lives of 17 people, with the majority of the dead being students.
When the video surfaced on Tuesday revealing that Peterson did nothing to stop this shooting, he resigned from his job. He had already been put on unpaid suspension by the sheriff. When it was revealed to the public that an armed deputy did nothing to attempt to stop this school massacre, widespread outrage ensued.
According to the New York Post, the “disgraced deputy” is seen in a video made in 2015. In this video, he is “touting the crime prevention skills of school resource officers — like himself.” For more than four minutes, this same man stood outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as the shooting went on, but he never went in.
The armed school deputies are not security guards like the type seen in stores. They are actual police deputies who take position inside the school. According to Fox News, two other Broward County deputies have been placed on restrictive duty as officials investigate “whether or not they could have done more, should’ve done more.”
#BREAKING: BSO School Resource Deputy who was on campus at the time of the shooting has resigned, and 2 other BSO deputies are under investigation. Sheriff Israel says Deputy Scot Peterson "never went in" the building where the shooting happened. https://t.co/NDB6e6490E
— WSVN 7 News (@wsvn) February 22, 2018
In 2014, Peterson was named School Resource Officer of the Year, according to WSVN News. At that time, he was said to be someone who “has proven to be reliable in handling issues with tact and judgment.”
https://twitter.com/treniatoday/status/967036799330615297
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel was asked what the deputy should have done, and he said, “Went in and killed the killer.”
The sheriff also said that this lack of action made him “devastated, sick to my stomach,” according to WSVN News.
School resource officer resigns; officer 'did nothing' during Florida school shooting, sheriff says https://t.co/q73HbNGzPV pic.twitter.com/XUCBuvF4vB
— WGAL (@WGAL) February 22, 2018
According to Fox News, a local reporter went to Peterson’s house attempting to get an interview with the now-resigned deputy, but he was met by six police officers who were guarding the former deputy’s home. The reporter and his crew were prevented from approaching the dwelling.
The sheriff said he believes Peterson remained outside the shooting for at least four minutes, while the shooting spree lasted all of six minutes, and the officer “never fired his weapon.” When talking about a school full of kids, the sheriff told reporters it doesn’t matter who “went in first” and the “order you went in.”
He continued, “What matters is that when we, in law enforcement, arrive at an active shooter, we go in and address the target. And that’s what should’ve been done.”
