A Parkland school resource officer was deemed innocent in the trial for criminal charges of child negligence and endangerment. In 2018, a devastating school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School cost the lives of 17 people. Scot Peterson, the school resource officer, chose not to go inside the building after hearing shots for 48 minutes. 5 years after the massacre, the jury stated that the officer was not guilty
Five years ago, on Valentine’s Day, 2018, Nikolas Cruz entered the building with a firearm. Scot Peterson was the school’s resource officer and the only armed security officer there. The parents of the people lost and injured that his inaction directly caused the deaths of the people on the second floor.
Peterson ignored his training to go and investigate once he heard shots and paced outside the school for 48 minutes. After the trial, Peterson said, “Don’t anybody ever forget this was a massacre on February 14. Only person to blame was that monster. … We did the best we could with the information we had, and God knows we wish we had more.”
The now-former Parkland officer before any verdict of innocence in the trial has long retired.
The Parents’ Reaction
The Parkland officer being found innocent in the trial of all charges was not what parents expected nor wanted. Tony Montalto, the father of one of the victims, had this to say, “Peterson’s failure to act during the shooting was a grave dereliction of duty, and we believe justice has not been served in this case.” He went on to say that he had wished for “some measure of accountability” from the jury on the trial.
Article by Malachi Brown
Sources:
CNN: Then-Parkland school resource officer who stayed outside during mass shooting found not guilty
CBS: Parkland shooting sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson found not guilty on all counts
Featured Image Courtesy of Fabrice Florin – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Seattle Parks and Recreation – Creative Commons License
