Officer on the scene denies being ‘coward’
The lawyer for Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson said his client has been unfairly described as a “coward” for following protocol when he didn’t race into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during a gunman’s deadly rampage.
Peterson, who was the school resource officer, resigned last week amid severe criticism from Sheriff Scott Israel — and President Trump. The sheriff publicly chastised Peterson, saying the deputy stood outside for several minutes and did not enter the building to confront the shooter.
Seventeen students and staff were killed and more than a dozen injured in the shootings Feb. 14.
“Allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue,” his lawyer, Joseph DiRuzzo, said in a statement.
DiRuzzo said Peterson believed the shooting was outside the school and followed protocol for such an incident. That included taking up a “tactical position” outside the building.
Peterson, DiRuzzo said, had the “presence of mind” to have school administrators go to the school’s video room and review the closed-circuit cameras to locate the shooter and obtain a description for law enforcement.
The deputy gave his keys to the Coral Springs SWAT team and provided handwritten diagrams of the entire Stoneman Douglas campus, the lawyer said.
“It is our understanding that Sheriff Israel acknowledged that the investigation remains ongoing and that ‘ investigations will not be rushed or asked to jump to conclusions,’ ” DiRuzzo said. “We question why this statement would not also apply to Mr. Peterson?”
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is examining the response of all officers in the case. DiRuzzo said Peterson will cooperate with the inquiry that “we believe will ultimately clear Mr. Peterson’s name.”
On Monday, Trump described Peterson’s behavior as “disgusting” and said the deputy “choked.” But, he said, “you never know until you’re tested.”
Trump expressed confidence that he would have gone into the building. “I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon,” he told a group of state governors at the White House.
Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said the group does not train school officers in Florida. Generally, he said, the officers meet three criteria: They’re sworn, certified law enforcement officers with at least three years on the job; they must be trained in community-based policing; and the program must be a collaboration between the school district and a local law enforcement agency. Canady said he wasn’t sure whether the deputies assigned to the school in Parkland were school resource officers.