Jania Ashlynn
A Florida jury has delivered a verdict of not guilty for former Parkland school resource officer Scot Peterson. Peterson, who was the first law enforcement officer in the U.S. to face criminal charges related to his alleged inaction during a school shooting, had been facing seven counts of felony child neglect.
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He was also charged with three counts of misdemeanor culpable negligence in connection with the adults who were injured in the building. Additionally, Peterson faced a perjury charge for allegedly lying to detectives.
Peterson was at risk of going to prison and losing his $104,000 yearly pension if found guilty of the child neglect charges. When the verdict was declared, Peterson couldn’t hold back his tears as he broke down inside the courtroom.
During the trial, some students, a sheriff’s deputy, and some teachers got up on the stand and shared their thoughts on where they believed the first shots came from during the tragic shooting that happened on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Kristen Gomes, an assistant state attorney representing Broward County, delivered her closing arguments on Monday “Every student and every teacher on the third floor was still alive.”
“And Scot Peterson chose to run,” Gomes shared.
Statements
Peterson’s lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, responded that his client couldn’t figure out where the shots were being fired from. He also mentioned that it was unclear if there were multiple shooters on the scene. In response, Peterson took action by initiating a school-wide ‘code red.’
“We’re here because of that monster,” Eiglarsh shared. “He did it,” pointing to a photo of Cruz.
Following Peterson’s acquittal on all charges, Broward State Attorney Harold F. Pryor stated “To those who have tried to make this political, I say: It is not political to expect someone to do their job.”
“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. They have a special role and responsibilities that exceed the role and responsibilities of a police officer,” Pryor added.
