Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says he suspended a school resource officer for failing to act during the Parkland shooting.
Miami NBC report:
Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel on Thursday said he was suspended without pay the school resource officer who was at the Parkland school where 17 people were shot dead.
Israel said school resource officer Scot Peterson took a position outside of the school but “never went in” as the onslaught occurred, citing security footage.
“In the case of Scot Peterson, our school resource deputy, I want to clarify any rumors conjecture or stories that may have been out there,” Israel said.
Israel said Peterson was “absolutely on campus,” adding that he was armed and in uniform during the shooting.
Israel said he decided to suspend Peterson without pay pending an investigation, but Peterson decided to resign.
The armed school resource officer at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School responded to the shooting BUT NEVER WENT IN for “upward or 4 minutes” while the gunmen killed people, said Sheriff Scott Israel.
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 22, 2018
“Never went in” Sheriff said. Officer “clearly” could hear gunfire
Sheriff: “Devastated.Sick to my stomach. There are no words.These families lost their children. We lost coaches. I’ve been to the funerals. I’ve been to the homes where they sit in shiva. I’ve been to the vigils”
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 22, 2018
Sheriff Scott Israel said Officer Scott Peterson failed by waiting outside the Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS building for about 4 of 6 minutes while Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people
What should Peterson have done
Israel: “Went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer” pic.twitter.com/GxIMS1sPxf
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 22, 2018
I was so floored when a Broward Sheriff’s source told me this that I had to watch the video pic.twitter.com/cTk0H5CyGg
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 22, 2018
As noted above, school resource officer Scott Peterson quit when an investigation was opened up into his conduct. Sheriff Israel said video and witnesses show that Peterson was outside the SE corner of the building and "clearly" could her gunshots.
Could he hear the screams?
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) February 22, 2018
Not only did the school resource officer fail to do his job, but so did local law enforcement and the FBI.
A new CNN report reveals South Florida law enforcement knew Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School gunman Nikolas Cruz had “used a gun against people,” months before the massacre.
CNN reports:
Just months before Nikolas Cruz killed 17 at his former high school in South Florida, the host family who had taken him in immediately after his mother’s death warned local law enforcement that the 19-year-old had “used a gun against people before” and “has put the gun to others’ heads in the past,” according to records obtained by CNN. It’s the latest indication of how law enforcement encountered warning signs about Cruz’s violent behavior before he attacked students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day. CNN has obtained records from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office that detail deputies’ interactions with Cruz in the home where he lived for a few weeks in November, before he moved in with another family, the Sneads, and months before the massacre.
The report raises questions as to why such details were not made public prior to CNN’s town hall on gun control, where Broward Co. Sheriff Scott Israel called for a ban on all assault rifles.
As The Gateway Pundit reported last week, the FBI has said ‘protocols were not followed,’ to escalate a tip the bureau received about Cruz.
“We are still investigating the facts. I am committed to getting to the bottom of what happened in this particular matter, as well as reviewing our processes for responding to information that we receive from the public,” wrote FBI Director Wray.
On Jan. 5, a person close to Florida school shooting suspect contacted FBI tipline and provided info on the suspect’s “gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting,” added Wray.
