Five years after the Parkland mass shooting that left 17 dead, the former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School resource officer accused of failing to confront the teenage gunman faced trial on Wednesday.
“In an active shooter situation, [police] are trained to go towards the shots because people are dying…so you can stop the killing,” Assistant State Attorney Steven Klinger told Broward County jurors during his opening statements. “Seventeen beautiful people were lost.”
Scot Peterson, now-known as the “the coward of Broward,” has pleaded not guilty to several counts, including child neglect and perjury, for his failed response during the February 14, 2018 massacre in Parkland, Florida. Prosecutors allege that the ex-Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy failed to follow active shooting training and remained outside the three-story Parkland, Florida building for about 48 minutes.
During that time, former student Nikolas Cruz, armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, carried out the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history that also left 17 others injured. Among the dead in the six-minute attack were three staff members and 14 students. (Cruz, who pleaded guilty to 35 counts of murder and attempted murder, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last year.)
If convicted, Peterson faces nearly a century in prison and would lose his $104,000 annual pension. His trial notably marks the first time a law enforcement officer has faced a trial for failing to confront a gunman—raising questions about police responsibility during active shootings.
Peterson, 60, was seen shaking his head and wiping away tears from the defense table as Klinger detailed to jurors how he allegedly failed his duties as a law enforcement officer during the deadly attack. Klinger argued that an armed Peterson was the first to arrive at the high school via golf cart, about 73 seconds before Cruz reached the building’s third floor. But instead of confronting Cruz, prosecutors alleged he backed away as the gunman opened fire and directed other officers away from the gunman.
“The defendant will never leave that alcove while the shooter is in the building,” Klinger said.
Afterward, prosecutors allege Peterson lied after the shooting and said he only heard two or three shots from the building and did not see any students running when he was in the school stairwell.
Peterson, however, has maintained his innocence in the deadly incident and has long insisted that he did not enter the school because he thought the shots were coming from outside. Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh also told jurors that his team is planning to call 22 witnesses to the stand to prove Peterson’s innocence, including former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.
Eiglarsh also noted that despite his 32-year law enforcement career, Peterson turned into a scapegoat for law enforcement failures in the Parkland shooting and faced intense criticism and scrutiny for his actions. He insists that his client did not lie to law enforcement after the shooting, and simply relayed what he heard and believed at the time.
“My client was sacrificed. The evidence will show that he was thrown under the bus,” Eiglarsh added. “My client is not a criminal and the evidence will not prove that he did not commit any criminal offenses at all. He did not know where those shots were coming from.”
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This post originally appeared on and written by:
Pilar Melendez
The Daily Beast 2023-06-07 16:45:00
