Deputy who stood by during shooting says he ‘took up a tactical position’

PARKLAND, Fla. — The sheriff’s deputy assigned to guard the Florida high school that was the scene of a mass shooting claims he did nothing during the massacre because he believed the gunfire was coming from outside, his attorney said Monday.

Scot Peterson has been called a coward and worse for standing idle during the killing of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The criticism intensified Monday as President Donald Trump blasted the deputy and other officers who were there, saying they “weren’t exactly Medal of Honor winners.”

Peterson’s attorney, issuing his first public statement about the attack, said it was “patently untrue” that the deputy failed to meet sheriff’s department standards or acted with cowardice during the Feb. 14 assault.

He resigned after Broward Coun- ty Sheriff Scott Israel 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,” attorney Joseph DiRuzzo said in the statement.

The sheriff’s account of Peterson’s actions that day was a “gross oversimplification,” the attorney said.

The sheriff’s office declined com- ment, explaining that Peterson’s conduct is being investigated by its internal affairs division.

Speaking to a group of governors at the White House, Trump said: “You don’t know until you’re tested, but I think I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon. And I think most of the people in this room would have done that, too.”

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, he P “took up a tactical position” outside between two buildings where he then t stayed until the shooting stopped. b

Gov. Rick Scott’s office has asked the Florida Department of Law Enp forcement to investigate the police response, and the agency confirmed r it would begin the probe immediaten ly.