Trump calls armed officer at school shooting ‘coward’
PRESIDENT Donald Trump yesterday labelled an armed officer who failed to protect students during the Florida high school shooting “a coward”.
Deputy Scot Peterson was assigned to protect students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High by the local sheriff’s department, but failed to confront 19-year-old killer Nikolas Cruz.
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Mr Peterson, 54, should have “killed the killer” during the Valentine’s Day shooting.
But the uniformed deputy, who had worked at the school as a “resource officer” since 2009, “never went in”, he added.
And Mr Trump turned on Mr Peterson as he called for teachers who are “adept” with weapons or have military backgrounds to be armed. He said: “When it came time to get in there and do something, he didn’t have the courage or something happened. But he certainly did a poor job.
“He was there for five minutes. He heard the entire shooting from the beginning. They didn’t react properly under pressure or they were a coward.” Mr Trump’s hardhitting words at the Conservative Political Action Conference came on the same day that Florida Governor Rick Scott revealed plans to limit gun sales to people over 21.
The President continued: “You had one guard and he didn’t turn out to be too good. He was not a credit to law enforcement.
“I’d rather have someone who loves their students and wants to protect them than somebody standing outside that does not know anybody and, frankly, for whatever reason, decided not to go in – even though he heard shots being fired. A teacher would have shot the hell out of him before he knew what happened.”
Police chiefs suspended Peterson, who then resigned.
Sheriff Israel, reacting to video footage showing Mr Peterson standing outside one of the buildings, said: “Devastated, sick to my stomach, there are no words.
“These families lost their children, we lost coaches. I’ve been to the funerals. I’ve been to the homes. I’ve been to the vigils.”
Sheriff Israel said Mr Peterson arrived at the building where most Mr of the killing took place and “stood outside for four minutes”. He added: “We may never disclose the video depending on the criminal case [against Cruz]. But what I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of Building 12, take up position, and he never went in.”
Asked what Mr Peterson should have done, Sheriff Israel said: “Went in, addressed the killer, killed the killer.”
Washington last night appeared to confirm plans to open a US Embassy in Jerusalem in May. Mr Trump has come under fire for the controversial move.