Verdict Reached In Parkland School Resource Officer Trial

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Scot Peterson, a former Broward County deputy accused of failing to confront the killer of 14 students and three staff members at Parkland High School five years ago, was acquitted on Thursday, according to multiple reports.

The school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Peterson was charged with failing to confront shooter Nikolas Cruz during his six-minute attack inside a three-story 1200 classroom building on Feb. 14, 2018.

Peterson had pleaded not guilty to 11 counts, including felony child neglect and culpable negligence.

Peterson wept as the verdict was read. The jury reached a verdict after four days of deliberations, according to CNN.

Peterson could have received nearly 100 years in prison, although a sentence even approaching that length would have been highly unlikely given the circumstances and his clean record. He also could have lost his $104,000 annual pension.

Security videos show that 36 seconds after Cruz's attack began, Peterson exited his office about 100 yards from the 1200 building and jumped into a cart with two unarmed civilian security guards. They arrived at the building a minute later.

Peterson exited the cart near the east doorway to the first-floor hallway. Cruz was at the hallway's opposite end, firing his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle.

Peterson, who was not wearing a bullet-resistant vest, didn't open the door. Instead, he took cover 75 feet away in the alcove of a neighboring building, his gun still drawn. He stayed there for 40 minutes, long after the shooting ended and other police officers had stormed the building.

During their two-week presentation, prosecutors called to the witness stand students, teachers and law enforcement officers who testified about the horror they experienced. Some said they knew for sure the shots were coming from the 1200 building. Prosecutors also called a training supervisor who testified Peterson did not follow protocols for confronting an active shooter.

Peterson's attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, questioned several deputies who arrived during the shooting, as well as students and teachers who testified they did not think the shots were coming from the 1200 building. Peterson, who did not testify, said that he could not pinpoint the shooter's location because of echoes.

Eiglarsh also emphasized the failure of the sheriff's radio system during the attack, which limited what Peterson heard from arriving deputies.

Cruz was sentenced in October 2022 to life in prison without parole.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.