Jury decides fate of delegate who failed to confront Parkland Gunman

A jury in Florida will soon decide whether a former police officer should be convicted of crimes for failing to confront the gunman who killed 17 people and wounded 17 others at a Parkland high school five years ago.

The trial, which includes charges of child neglect, is believed to be the first trial in the country against a member of law enforcement for inaction in a school shooting.

During closing arguments Monday, prosecutors asked jurors to hold Scot Peterson, a 60-year-old former deputy sheriff, responsible for standing by during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre on Feb. 14, 2018, when he was the only one of the school wash. armed auxiliary officer.

“Every student and teacher on the third floor was alive” when Mr. Peterson reached the building targeted by the gunman, said Kristen Gomes, an assistant state attorney for Broward County. “And Scot Peterson chose to run.”

Mark Eiglarsh, Mr Peterson’s lawyer, countered that Mr Peterson did not know where the shots came from or how many shooters there were, saying he had acted by calling a school-wide “code red”. Mr Eiglarsh also argued that his client had been made a scapegoat by the Broward Sheriff’s Office, which was under intensive investigation after the shooting.

Mr Eiglarsh pointed to a photo of the shooter. “We’re here because of that monster,” he said, adding, “He did it.”

By indicting Mr. Peterson, prosecutors brought a new legal approach to what society expects of law enforcement officers, and the outcome of the trial could have repercussions far beyond Florida. For example, police are under investigation in Uvalde, Texas, where officers waited more than an hour before entering two classrooms at Robb Elementary School during a May 2022 shooting that killed 21 people.

According to his own account to investigators, Mr. Peterson arrived at what was known as the 1200 Building, drew his gun, and took cover in the alcove of a stairway of an adjacent building. He said he only heard two or three shots — though about 70 were fired during that time — and he directed other officers away from where the gunman fired his semi-automatic rifle.

Mr. Peterson faces seven counts of child neglect and three felony counts relating to deaths and injuries on the third floor of the building, which prosecutors said he had a chance to quit. He is also charged with perjury; prosecutors alleged that he lied to police when he said he heard only a few gunshots and saw no children fleeing.

The shooting lasted less than seven minutes; Mr. Peterson arrived outside the 1200 Building just over two minutes later, before the gunman made his way to the third floor. Mr. Peterson backed off and then remained in the same position for over 45 minutes, long after the firing had stopped.

The jury, consisting of three women and three men, began deliberations two and a half weeks after Mr Peterson’s trial began. He didn’t testify.

For Mr. Peterson to be convicted of child neglect, the jurors would have to determine that he was legally a “carer,” which is defined under Florida law as a “parent, adult dependent, or other person responsible for the well-being of a a child’. They must also determine whether he made a reasonable effort to protect the children and whether his actions caused harm.

The maximum possible sentence for the charges is 96 years in prison. But if convicted, Mr. Peterson is unlikely to receive such a harsh sentence as he has no criminal record. He could lose his $104,000 annual pension.

Mr. Peterson retired after the shooting and was subsequently fired retroactively. He later moved to North Carolina.

The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, a former student of Stoneman Douglas High School, was sentenced to life in prison last year after a three-month trial. Prosecutors had demanded the death penalty.

Killed in the shooting were Alyssa Alhadeff, 14; Scott Beigel, 35; Martin Duque, 14; Nicholas Dworet, 17; Aaron Feis, 37; Jaime Guttenberg, 14; Christopher Hixon, 49; Luke Hoyer, 15; Cara Loughran, 14; Gina Montalto, 14; Joaquin Oliver, 17; Alaina Small, 14; Meadow Pollak, 18; Helena Ramsay, 17; Alex Schachter, 14; Carmen Schentrup, 16, and Peter Wang, 15.

During closing arguments on Monday, Mr Peterson repeatedly shook his head as prosecutors spoke. In the courtroom in downtown Fort Lauderdale were Mr. Peterson’s wife and the families of several victims.

The defense called as witnesses students and teachers who were in the adjacent building who testified that sounds reverberated, making it difficult to determine the origin of the gunfire. Police officers described poor radio communication and widespread confusion.

“I had no idea where the shots came from,” said Arthur Perry, a sheriff’s deputy who was a school resource officer at a nearby elementary school and ran for high school. “They certainly sounded like they were outside.”

Prosecutors called survivors seriously injured on the third floor. They played videos of the shooting and had medical examiners describe autopsies. The head of a training unit testified that Mr. Peterson received training to confront a gunman.

The detective leading the investigation into the massacre, John Curcio, wept when a prosecutor asked what Mr Peterson’s aim should have been when the gunman attacked.

“The goal is to stop him from killing people,” Mr Curcio said. “Everything so that children can find safety.”