Trial begins for school resource officer who stood outside during Parkland shooting

The trial for the school resource officer who stood outside during the 2018 Parkland high school mass shooting began Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

Scot Peterson, a former Broward County Deputy, is charged with seven counts of felony child neglect, three counts of misdemeanor culpable negligence and a perjury charge for statements he made after the shooting, AP reported. Peterson’s charges reflect his failure to intervene during the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 14 students and three staff members dead.

The trial could last up to two months, according to NBC6.

Today, I ask all Floridians to pause for a moment of silence at 10:17am to honor the 17 innocent lives lost at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre.

We will continue to honor their memory in word and in deed and extend our sympathies to the Parkland community.

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) February 14, 2023

Peterson retired after the shooting and was fired from his role retroactively, AP reported. He was released on bond after being arrested in June 2019, according to CBS News.

Prosecutors argue Peterson – who was armed at the time of the shooting – was on the scene and had multiple opportunities to intervene, AP reported.

“You’ve got to get in there and you’ve got to find the shooter,” prosecutor Steven Klinger said, according to AP.

Peterson’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, claims that he didn’t know where the gunfire was coming from or where the shooter was.

“He was not a coward. [Peterson] did everything he possibly could with the limited information he had on hand,” Eiglarsh said, according to AP.

Eiglarsh did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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