Scot Peterson acquitted of all charges in Parkland massacre

Scot Peterson was exonerated on all counts in the Parkland shooting.

Scot Peterson, a former school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, was found not guilty of all counts on June 29 at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. AP Photo/Amy Beth Bennett

More than five years after the former Parkland, Florida, school resource officer was called a "coward" for not doing enough to stop the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead and 17 others injured while he stood at a safe distance, a South Florida jury on Thursday found Scot Peterson not guilty of child neglect and culpable negligence.

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Following the conclusion of final statements on Monday in the trial of Peterson, the first American law enforcement officer charged in connection with a school shooting, six jurors discussed for more than 19 hours over four days at the Broward County Courthouse. On February 14, 2018, while the worst high school massacre in American history unfolded, Peterson, 60, was charged with delaying addressing the Parkland shooter for almost 45 minutes. Peterson, who some victims' families and former coworkers dubbed "the Coward of Broward," was accused of seven counts of felony child neglect and three counts of culpable negligence, all of which were brought against him by the families of the 10 victims of the attack on the third floor of the high school's 1200 building.

Peterson sobbed as the court read "not guilty" to each allegation of child maltreatment, knowing that she could have received a term in jail of almost 100 years.

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After the verdict, Peterson told reporters, "I've got my life back."

Acquittal of the former Parkland school resource officer

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Scot Peterson, a school resource officer at the time of the Parkland shooting, claimed to have "got his life back" after being cleared of all child maltreatment charges on June 29.

The trial, which lasted nearly two weeks and was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, less than 30 miles from the scene of the attack in 2018, did not include any testimony from Peterson. Mark Eiglarsh, his attorney, developed a defense based on the evidence of the officers, instructors, and kids who testified in court that they were unsure of the source of the gunfire. Insisting that it was difficult to pinpoint the source of the gunshot due to a lack of information, a malfunctioning sheriff's radio system, and the echo of gunfire, Peterson has long maintained that there was nothing else he could have done to stop the shooting.

After the judgment, Eiglarsh told The Washington Post, "The prosecutors tried to sacrifice and pursue baseless charges against a man who did everything he could with the little information he had under the most trying of circumstances."

Other law enforcement personnel, educators, and students were cited by the prosecution as having knowledge of Nikolas Cruz's shooting location and being perplexed that Peterson did not and "chose to run." Detective John Curcio of Broward County, who oversaw the investigation into the massacre, was a different witness consulted by the state lawyers. In his testimony, Curcio said that Peterson violated established procedures for engaging a shooter during a mass shooting since Peterson's primary responsibility amid the mayhem was "to stop [Cruz] from killing people."

In a statement, Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor expressed disappointment in the verdict and refuted charges that the prosecution politicized Peterson's case.

"Expecting someone to perform their job is not political. Particularly when it comes to the crucial position of a school resource officer, an armed law enforcement officer with specific obligations to the pupils and faculty members they are hired to safeguard, Pryor added. "The children and adults who died or were hurt on the third floor of the 1200 Building suffered a terrible impact as a result of Scot Peterson's inaction and the false information he provided to law enforcement officers."

When Peterson was declared not guilty on Thursday, he reacted. AP Photo/Amy Beth Bennett

After hugging Peterson outside the courthouse, Eiglarsh told reporters that the acquittal proves "the system works."

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"This is not just a victory for Scot, but for every law enforcement officer in this country who does the best they can every single day," said Eiglarsh.

In the year since 21 people, including 19 children, were slain at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Peterson's case has come under increased scrutiny. In both cases, parents and legal experts say it's unclear if and how to hold cops liable for their inactivity following a shooting. Prosecutors in Texas have been asked to punish the cops who took 77 minutes to face the shooter in that horrific murder. No one has been indicted.

More than eight months after Cruz was spared the death penalty and given a life sentence, it was reported that Peterson had been found not guilty. During his 6-minute, 22-second spree, Cruz fired 139 shots. Many victims' relatives felt misled by the legal system after the October sentencing.

Despite being the first armed officer on the scene, Peterson, who served as the school's resource officer for over ten years, didn't enter the building where the shooting was taking place. Peterson and another cop left the 1200 building and took position 75 feet away at the 700 building while Cruz began shooting. Peterson "remains at this position for the duration of the incident and only transmits information via his radio," the sheriff's office found in its investigation.

Police make available CCTV footage from the Parkland school shooting

According to the police, this footage depicts former Broward County policeman Scot Peterson being surrounded during the shooting spree at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14. (Broward Sheriff's Office video)

Before the trial, Peterson said in an email interview that "the pronounced echo that I and countless others experienced under the most stressful moment of my life made it impossible to determine the precise location of the shooter."

The Broward Sheriff's Office's response generated a backlash, many officer resignations, and the sheriff's removal. Peterson, who the sheriff's office fired before he was prosecuted, received a lot of the blame.

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Every day, several times a day, I think back on that shooting, Peterson told The Post. When a monster shot 34 people, "how can you not?"

He said, "I've been living a nightmare that I wouldn't wish on anyone."

According to experts, the allegations against Peterson would have made it difficult for a jury to find him guilty. Because the phrase typically does not relate to a law enforcement officer, it was challenging for the prosecution to establish throughout the trial that he was employed that day in the position of a caretaker. The state law's language, which defines a caregiver as "a parent, adult household member, or other person responsible for a child's welfare," highlighted the difficulties in holding police legally accountable for mistakes made in a crisis. Peterson was "not a caregiver," Eiglarsh told The Post before Peterson's trial.

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However, detractors like Parkland shooting victim and activist David Hogg were furious with Thursday's decision. Peterson, according to Hogg, "wasn't a good guy with a gun, he was a coward with a gun." And the fact, according to the parents of the deceased sons and daughters, is that Peterson ought to have taken greater action.

The Broward County School Board member Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa, 14, was one of the victims, learned about the verdict while traveling in Greece. Alhadeff claimed that while she was unsurprised by Peterson's acquittal, the consequences had crushed her and made schools less secure.

In the event of a shooting at a school, school resource officers will have the choice to enter or not, Alhadeff added. "This jury had a chance to make a statement and establish a precedent going forward, but they unfortunately failed today,"

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The acquittal was announced when Max Schachter, whose son Alex, 14, was one of those killed, was giving a presentation at the National Association of School Resource Officers annual meeting in Indianapolis.

According to Schachter, "I had just finished giving training concerning the mistakes that led up to the Parkland massacre and the failure of Scot Peterson's response that day. I sincerely hope that this won't occur again.

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After the shooting, Peterson told reporters that Cruz was solely to blame for the carnage, referring to him as "that monster," and that "we did the best we could with the information we had." Peterson and his wife Lydia stated that they wanted to speak with the victims' families who believe he shares some of the guilt for what occurred on Valentine's Day of 2018.

He responded, "I'm here for them if they need to hear the reality of what happened. "I'll be there for them," I said, "even though I realize that may not be how they are feeling right now."

Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina, 14, was one of the victims, shook his head as the jury's verdicts on all charges were announced in the courtroom while Peterson sobbed jubilantly. According to him, the court's decision not to convict him would never "absolve him of what he failed to do that day."

I'll be pleased to speak with him if he can find a way to get my kid back, Montalto stated. If he is unable to, he must accept that his mistakes contributed to the situation.