A Florida sheriff’s deputy was acquitted Thursday of felony child neglect and other charges for failing to act during the 2018 Parkland school massacre, concluding the first trial in U.S. history of a law enforcement officer for conduct during an on-campus shooting.
Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School School Resource Officer Scot Peterson, left, and defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh stand as the jury enters the courtroom to be dismissed for the day after no verdict was announced in his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Peterson is accused of failing to confront the shooter who murdered 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland high school five years ago.
"I got my life back. We've got our life back," Peterson said as he exited the courtroom, his arm around his wife, Lydia Rodriguez, and his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh. "It's been an emotional rollercoaster for so long. Calling Mark at 1 in the morning.""Only one person was to blame and it was that monster ," Peterson said. "It wasn't any of the law enforcement who was on that scene. ... Everybody did the best they could with the information we had.
Prosecutors, during their two-week presentation, called to the witness stand students, teachers and law enforcement officers who testified about the horror they experienced and how they knew where Cruz was. Some said they knew for certain that the shots were coming from the 1200 building. Prosecutors also called a training supervisor who testified Peterson did not follow protocols for confronting an active shooter.
"As parents, we have an expectation that armed school resource officers -- who are under contract to be caregivers to our children -- will do their jobs when we entrust our children to them and the schools they guard," Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor and the prosecutor's office said in a statement after the verdict. "They have a special role and responsibilities that exceed the role and responsibilities of a police officer.
Montalto said if the jurors believe Peterson acted appropriately, they should get him hired at their children's schools.
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