Florida deputy charged for inaction during Parkland shooting

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The Florida deputy who knew a gunman was loose at the Parkland high school but refused to go inside to confront the assailant was arrested Tuesday on 11 criminal charges related to his inaction during the massacre that killed 17 people.

Scot Peterson was on duty as the resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on the day of the February 2018 shooting but never entered the building while bullets were flying. He was charged with child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury – allegations that carry a maximum prison sentence of nearly 100 years.

Peterson was seen on surveillance video rushing with two staff members toward the building where the shooting happened. When they arrived, he pulled his weapon and went forward but then retreated and took up a position outside, where he stood with his gun drawn.

The charges follow a 14-month investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which conducted interviews with 184 witnesses, reviewed hours of surveillance videos and compiled 212 investigative reports, the agency said.

Peterson's lawyer Joseph DiRuzzo III, said in a statement that his client is merely a scapegoat. He called the charges “a thinly veiled attempt at politically motivated retribution.”

(Cover: Scot Peterson talks during a school board meeting of Broward County. /AP Photo)

Source(s): Reuters