‘I’m no coward,’ says deputy who didn’t go inside Florida school during shooting

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Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel (pictured at a CNN town hall meeting) had singled out Peterson for failing to engage school shooter Nikolas Cruz. Photo: Reuters

Published: 4:38am, 27 Feb 2018Updated: 3:28am, 26 Jun 2018

The Broward campus deputy widely lambasted for not entering Marjory Stoneman Douglas High during the massacre that killed 17 people insists he is no coward – and that he did not initially believe that gunfire was happening inside the building.

Scot Peterson, formerly of Broward Sheriff’s Office, said his actions during the Valentine’s Day massacre “were appropriate under the circumstances” in a statement released through his lawyer on Monday.

Peterson “heard gunshots but believed those gunshots were originating from outside the buildings on the school campus,” according to the release.

“BSO trains its officers that in the event of outdoor gunfire one is to seek cover and assess the situation in order to communicate what one observes with other law enforcement.”

Scot Peterson (pictured in a February 18, 2015 image taken from video provided by Broward County Public Schools) was suspended without pay and placed under investigation. He then chose to resign. Photo: Broward County Public Schools via AP

“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,” according to the statement sent from the office of Fort Lauderdale attorney Joseph DiRuzzo.