School shooting policeman denies Trump’s claims of ‘cowardice’
THE armed officer on duty at a Florida high school where 17 people were shot dead has defended his actions after Donald Trump branded him a coward.
Scot Peterson ran to the sound of gunshots during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, said Joseph DiRuzzo, his lawyer.
Believing the shooting to be taking place outdoors, he followed his training to take up a “tactical position” from where he directed first responders, he said.
Mr Peterson has been heavily criticised for failing to do more to prevent the massacre.
On Monday, Mr Trump said the deputy and other officers present “weren’t exactly Medal of Honor winners”.
Mr DiRuzzo said it was “patently untrue” that the deputy failed to meet the sheriff ’s department’s standards or acted with cowardice.
He resigned after Scott Israel, Broward county sheriff, said he felt sick to his stomach over his deputy’s failure to intervene.
“Let there be no mistake, Mr Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the 17 victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need,” said Mr DiRuzzo.
The sheriff’s account of Mr Peterson’s actions that day was a “gross oversimplification”, the attorney added.
The sheriff ’s office declined to comment, explaining that Mr Peterson’s conduct is being investigated by internal affairs.
Mr Peterson’s statement said he and a security specialist ran to the scene at first word of the shooting, a report that mistakenly said firecrackers were being set off near one building.
He then heard gunshots “but believed that those gunshots were originating from outside of the buildings”.
Following his training to seek cover and assess the situation in the event of outdoor gunfire, he alerted dispatchers and initiating a “code red” lockdown of the campus, the statement said.
“Radio transmissions indicated that there was a gunshot victim in the area of the football field,” adding to his belief that the shooting was outside. The massacre was the second-deadliest ever shooting at a US school.
Nikolas Cruz (19), a former student at the school, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Police have said he admitted the shooting.
Meanwhile, one of America’s top diplomats in charge of North Korea policy has announced his abrupt retirement, leading to fears of a dearth of expertise at a crucial time in Washington’s relations with Pyongyang.
Joseph Yun, who is in his early 60s, told CNN that his resignation was “completely my decision”. The State Department confirmed that it had been for personal reasons and that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had accepted it “with regret”.
Mr Yun’s sudden departure adds to uncertainty over the Trump administration’s policy towards Pyongyang, which has started to engage with Seoul for the first time in years, and which indicated at the weekend that the door was open for dialogue with Washington.
The Winter Olympics, where athletes from the North and South marched under a joint flag at the opening and closing ceremonies, has been widely credited for forging a diplomatic détente between the two countries.
Officials from both sides met again yesterday to discuss whether the rapprochement could continue during the Paralympic Games, which will be held from March 9-18.