Stoneman Douglas Security Monitors Fired For Lack Of Action During School Shooting
Two security guards at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are now former security guards due to their actions before, during, and after the February 14 school shooting that left 17 people dead.
As WTVJ-TV (Miami) reports, Andrew Medina and David Taylor were both fired during a Broward County School Board meeting Tuesday. More specifically, their names were removed from a school-district reassignment list, which is essentially a termination. The board voted to fire both men with no discussion and no comment.
Hunter Pollack, the 20-year-old brother of Heather Pollack, who died in the shooting, said Medina should have been fired months ago. That’s because Heather was one of several students who had made sexual harassment claims against Medina, who allegedly commented on at least one girl’s appearance and asked at least one other girl on a date.
“If I knew at the time, he would have been fired right away. It’s very unacceptable that the school board allowed this pervert to say stuff to my sister and other girls.”
According to National Review, Medina had been brought up before a disciplinary committee following the allegations, and that committee recommended firing him. Instead, he was given a three-day suspension. After the shooting, the sexual-harassment allegations came to light in the South Florida media, and he was transferred to a different school.
Security guards Andrew Medina and David Taylor drew criticism after it was revealed that neither of them confronted the Parkland high school shooter.
Medina also failed to call a "code red" to trigger a lockdown and call police.https://t.co/aKOc1hNsEH
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) June 26, 2018
On the day of the shooting, Medina allegedly failed to follow protocol. Specifically, he said that he saw alleged shooter Nikolas Cruz enter the school carrying a bag. Medina, who would later admit that he and other security guards had joked that Cruz might some day try to shoot up the school, didn’t call a “Code Red,” as he should have done. A Code Red would have immediately placed the school on lockdown, secured the kids behind locked classroom doors, and brought police to the school.
“I believe he made eye contact with me. I looked at him and he immediately made a right turn into that far east stairwell.”
Medina later made a conflicting statement, saying that when Cruz entered the building, he (Cruz) was too far away from Medina for Medina to recognize him.
Rather than calling a Code Red, Medina radioed another security guard, Taylor, who allegedly hid in a closet throughout the shooting.
Meanwhile, the Broward County School Board will likely join a Florida program that would put an armed school resource officer in the building. Superintendent Robert Runcie had initially resisted joining the program, but is now on board with it.
