June 29 (UPI) — An ex-school resource officer who was charged with not doing enough to intervene during the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Fla., was found not guilty on all charges Thursday.
Scot Peterson, who was a school resource officer at the time of the shooting, was charged with culpable negligence, six counts of child neglect with great bodily harm, and one count of child neglect without great bodily harm.
Gunman Nikolas Cruz killed 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and wounded 17 others.
Prosecutors argued that Peterson was culpable of neglect because as the official responding to the attack, he was playing the role of “caregiver” to the students.
State Attorney General Harold Pryor defended the legal theory behind the prosecution.
“For the first time in our nation’s history, prosecutors in this case have tried to hold an armed school resource officer responsible for not doing his job. We did so because we think it’s important not only to our community, but to the country as a whole,” Pryor wrote in a statement.
“Scot Peterson’s inaction and the misinformation he provided to law enforcement officers had a dire impact on the children and adults who died or were injured on the third floor of the 1200 building. He stood by, leaving an unrestricted killer to spend 4 minutes and 15 seconds wandering the halls at leisure — firing close to 70 rounds and killing or injuring 10 of the 34 children and educators who bore the brunt of the massacre,” Pryor continued.
Peterson’s defense attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, called the verdict a “victory for every law enforcement officer in the country.”
“We are extremely pleased with the outcome today,” said Eiglarsh.
Eiglarsh said that, because of former Sheriff Scott Israel’s “reckless, selfish, political actions, [Scot Peterson] had to endure four years of heartache and misery.”
“Former Sheriff Scott Israel held a press conference without ever speaking to my client,” Eiglarsh said. “If you’re falsely accused, the system works and they will eventually get it right.”
