‘Cowardly’ ex-school cop Scot Peterson faces 97 years in jail for doing ‘absolutely nothing’ to stop Parkland shooting
- Security officer faces 11 criminal charges, including child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury
- Investigation shows Peterson refused to investigate and instead retreated as 17 students and staff were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Scot Peterson, the school security officer branded a coward for his inaction during the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has been arrested for neglect of duty, Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony announced on Tuesday.
Peterson, 56, had been nationally heckled and vilified for failing to confront the former student who gunned down and killed 17 students and staff at the Parkland school on February 14, 2018.
“It’s never too late for accountability and justice,” Tony said.
Peterson has been booked into the Broward Main Jail on 11 criminal charges, including child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury.
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His arrest comes after a 15-month investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Broward state attorney’s office.
The investigation showed Peterson refused to investigate where the gunshots were coming from, retreated during the gunfire as victims were being shot, and directed other law enforcement who arrived on scene to remain 500 feet (150 metres) away from the building, FDLE spokeswoman Jessica Cary said in an emailed statement.
“The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen. “There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives.”
Also terminated was Sergeant Brian Miller.
“[Peterson and Miller] were found to have neglected their duties at MSD High School,” Tony said in an emailed statement.
Peterson was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after an administrative discipline hearing at the sheriff’s office headquarters on Broward Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale.
If convicted as charged, Peterson could face a maximum of nearly 97 years in state prison. His bond has been set at US$102,000.
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“We cannot fulfil our commitment to always protect the security and safety of our Broward County community without doing a thorough assessment of what went wrong that day,” Tony said.
“I am committed to address deficiencies and improving the Broward Sheriff’s Office.”
Peterson is facing seven felony counts of child neglect, three misdemeanour counts of culpable negligence and one misdemeanour count of perjury, according to the Broward state attorney’s office.
The investigation included 184 witness interviews, review of countless hours of video surveillance and resulted in 212 investigative reports and more than 800 hours of investigation, Cary said.
