Florida Officer Who Didn’t Enter School During Mass Shooting Is Not ‘A Coward,’ Lawyer Says

Florida Officer Who Didn’t Enter School During Mass Shooting Is Not ‘A Coward,’ Lawyer Says
President Donald Trump speaks at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 23, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
Zachary Stieber
2/26/2018
Updated:
2/26/2018

The Florida deputy who failed to confront the gunman during the mass shooting on Feb. 14 claims he is not a coward.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel revealed around a week after the shooting that Scot Peterson, the armed school resource officer, stood outside while Nikolas Cruz was shooting teachers and students.

Cruz ultimately killed 17 and wounded 16 in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Israel suspended Peterson after seeing video footage of Peterson’s response, hearing witness accounts, and getting a statement from Peterson.

Shortly after being suspended, Peterson resigned.

But Peterson said in a new statement through his lawyer that he was just following procedure.

“Let there be no mistake, Mr. Peterson wishes that he could have prevented the untimely passing of the seventeen victims on that day, and his heart goes out to the families of the victims in their time of need,” the lawyer, Joseph DiRuzzo III, said, reported NBC.

“However, the allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue. Mr. Peterson is confident that his actions on that day were appropriate under the circumstances and that the video (together with the eye-witness testimony of those on the scene) will exonerate him of any sub-par performance.”

Besides Peterson, three other Broward County deputies stood outside during the shooting as opposed to entering the building and hunting down the shooter, sources told CNN. Deputies from nearby Coral Springs were shocked when they arrived and saw the deputies standing outside.
Israel has faced criticism for the response of his deputies but claimed that their actions didn’t reflect upon his leadership and has refused to resign, reported Fox News.

President Donald Trump addressed the situation on Monday, saying that Peterson likely chose not to enter the school.

“Standing outside of that school he wanted no part of it. He heard the power and he heard probably the screaming and the bullets and he wanted no part of it,” Trump said, reported ABC.