More Florida deputies under investigation

Questions raised about delays in engaging with gunman, reports say

Several Broward County deputies are under investigation for their response to the high school shooting in south Florida that left 17 dead, according to multiple media reports.

Sheriff Scott Israel told ABC News that his department is investigating whether several of his deputies stayed outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the mass shooting instead of immediately going inside. Already, Israel has said the first deputy there, the school’s resource officer, who did not go inside even though the gunman was actively shooting, has resigned.

The investigation became public after several media reports, citing unnamed officials in the nearby Coral Springs Police Department, said officers who responded to the Feb. 14 shooting were concerned because Broward deputies did not immediately enter the building to help those inside.

Several Coral Springs officers lodged a complaint, which was then taken by the department’s police chief to the Broward County Sheriff ’s Office.

“We will dot every I, cross every T. We’ll do it in a meticulous manner,” Israel told ABC News. “If there is no wrongdoing in the part of our deputies, we’ll move on. If there is wrongdoing on the part of our deputies, we’ll handle it accordingly as I have for five years as sheriff.”

It’s unclear whether the deputies who are accused of waiting outside were at the school when suspected gunman Nikolas Cruz was inside shooting.

Israel was asked Thursday whether his deputies were told to wait for SWAT officers before going into the building.

The sheriff told a reporter he did not know anything about that and quickly moved on to another question.