Police Officer Who Didn't Enter School During Shooting Resigns

Police officers are guarding the home of the Florida deputy who did not enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a 19-year-old former student opened fire as students poured into the hallway after he pulled the fire alarm. According to Fox News, resource officer Scot Peterson resigned on Thursday after surveillance video revealed the armed deputy stood outside the school instead of going inside to assist injured students or confront the shooter.

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said that Peterson stood outside the building for close to four minutes while the shooting unfolded inside. According to the New York Times, an officer from another precinct arrived on scene and saw that Peterson "was seeking cover behind a concrete column leading to a stairwell."

Israel said Peterson should have gone in to "address the target."

"What matters is that when we, in law enforcement, arrive at an active shooter, we go in and address the target," the sheriff said. "And that’s what should’ve been done."

A student could not believe he stood by and did nothing. She told WSVN, "he should be the one out there with the gun trying to protect the kids."

“If he’s the one with a gun, he should be the one out there with the gun trying to protect the kids,” she said. “Why was he hiding outside? It just makes no sense to me whatsoever. I mean it just doesn’t make sense to me at all.”

President Trump had strong words for the former deputy. He said the deputy "didn't have the courage" and "certainly did a poor job."

"When it came time to get in there and do something, he didn't have the courage, or something happened," Trump said. "He certainly did a poor job. That's the case where somebody was outside, they are trained, they didn't react properly under pressure or they were a coward."


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